Oswego Magazine - Summer 2017

OSWEGO ALUMNI ASSOCIATION OF THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT OSWEGO n VOL. 43, NO. 2 n SUMMER 2017

We did it!

Oswego Sets Guinness World Record in Rokerthon 3 n Zoology Program Reaches

New Heights

n Reunion 2017 Recap

This fall, return to the place where you...

– Watched the prettiest sunsets – Experienced your happiest memories – Learned some of life’s greatest lessons – Discovered your career ambitions and passions – Had the most fun with some of your closest friends

Join us for Homecoming 2017!

Plans for the grand celebration include:*

Mark your calendars

• Scholarship Recipient/Donor Breakfast – Saturday morning • Campus-Community Homecoming Tailgate – Saturday afternoon • Men’s Soccer Game – Saturday afternoon • Donor Recognition Reception – Saturday afternoon • Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Dinner – Saturday evening … plus other athletic events, campus/ building open houses and more! *Tentative, schedule is still being finalized

for a visit to your alma mater!

For the latest updates visit alumni.oswego.edu/homecoming

SUMMER 2017

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Alumni Association of the State University of New York at Oswego Vol. 43, No. 2

Smart Neighbors Initiative Helps Local Shops 6 Students from a variety of majors completed hands-on projects that supported Man in the Moon Candies in Oswego.

NYS Excelsior Scholarship Makes College More Affordable, Accessible 8

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The new program will provide tuition-free college at New York’s public colleges and universities for undergraduates whose families meet certain income criteria.

Rokerthon 3: We Did It 20 More than 600 student skaters joined Al Roker ’76 on the ice in the Marano Campus Center March 31 to help break a world record live on NBC’s Today show.

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Wild Attraction 24 April the giraffe’s zookeeper Allysa Swilley ’15 brings global fame to zoology—a rare species of a college program.

Reunion 2017 Recap 30 Check out photos of the fun had by more than 1,200 alumni and friends during the college’s largest alumni celebration of the year.

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Campus Currents Athletics Class Notes Weddings In Memoriam Faculty Hall of Fame

ON THE COVER:

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3 16 33 43 44 Back Cover

Media personality and meteorologist Al Roker ’76 takes a selfie during NBC’s Today show broadcast live from SUNY Oswego’s Marano Campus Center on March 31, and Laker supporters cheer from the stands. Photo by Jim Russell ’83

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OSWEGO Alumni Magazine

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President’s Desk A

s we welcome our incoming Class of 2021 and help the Class of 2017 transition into the next chapter of their lives, this issue of the OSWEGO Alumni Magazine lands in your mailbox, filled President with more stories of Deborah F. Stanley new beginnings.

The feature story on our zoology program opens with the birth of the world’s most anticipated giraffe—Tajiri, the son of internet sensation, April. More than 232 million viewers tuned in to the live webcam of the pregnant giraffe, awaiting the birth of her baby. In the process, giraffe caregiver and SUNY Oswego zoology alumna Allysa Swilley ’15 also garnered international fame and helped shine a light on one of Oswego’s unique academic strengths— zoology. Read more about the program on page 24.

In March, the college received national attention for the creation of a new Guinness World Record—the longest conga line on ice—during Rokerthon 3, which NBC broadcast live on the Today show with Al Roker ’76. The record-setting event brought the campus and community together to showcase our Oswego pride and our commitment to achieving a common goal. The event helped put Oswego on the national map for prospective students and their families, and gave our 85,000 alumni a jolt of school pride. Plus, we had a blast!

Check out the coverage of the event on page 20.

In addition to setting a new world record, we also set a record for the most applications—a total of 11,350!—for our incoming fall class, and had the second highest number of people return for Reunion 2017 in June (see coverage on

page 30). During Reunion, we announced that Delta Kappa Kappa became the first active Greek organization to establish an endowed scholarship at the college. This fall, we also welcomed our first group of student recipients of the Excelsior Scholarship—a program established by Gov. Andrew Cuomo to help make college more affordable and accessible to New York State residents. Learn more about this exciting new program on page 8.

I am also pleased to report that our new Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Scott R. Furlong joined our college community this summer and already is infusing energy into our instructional and academic operations. He most recently served as the dean of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and brings a wealth of experience and an outstanding record of leadership. See story on page 12.

This fall also opens a new chapter for SUNY, as we welcome our 13th Chancellor, Dr. Kristina M. Johnson. See page 14. We look forward to working with her to continue to deliver the incredible value and excellence of a SUNY education across our state and worldwide. A special thanks to our alumnus, Al Roker ’76, who served on the national search committee and helped SUNY appoint Dr. Johnson to this important position.

We expect to continue to create, develop and grow this year, building on the momentum generated by these new beginnings.

Onward and upward,

Deborah F. Stanley President

By including SUNY Oswego in your will or estate plans, you have the power to make an impact on lives of future generations of students. Join others dedicated to carrying out the work of Oswego’s founder, Edward Austin Sheldon, as members of the Sheldon Legacy Society. For more information, visit alumni.oswego. edu/plannedgiving, email sheldonlegacy@oswego. edu or call 315-312-3003. l

Summer 2017

Jeff Rea ’71 Wayne Westervelt Contributing Writers Robert Clark ’78 Dori Gronich ’17 Reed Hutchinson Susan Kahn Julie Larsen Maher Dr. Jennifer Olori Chuck Perkins Contributing Photographers Shenandoah Briere ’17 Kaitlin Popow ’18 Rane Prieto ’17 Elena Semenza ’17 Emily Shaben ’18 Interns

Oswego Alumni Association Inc. Board of Directors

Lisa Marceau Schnorr ’87 President Amy Vanderlyke Dygert ’01 First Vice President Kathleen Smits Evans ’84 Second Vice President Keith Chamberlain ’87 Past President Elizabeth Locke Oberst Executive Director Edgar Ames ’68 *Tim Barnhart ’02 Marc Beck ’93 Paul Brennan ’93 Kevin Bryans ’89 *Michael Byrne ’79 Mike Caldwell ’70 **Mary Gibbons Canale ’81 Karen Colucci Coia ’89 Raelynn Cooter ’77 Jerry Esposito ’70 Thaina Gonzalez ’92

Phillip Grome M’89 Lisa Sferrazza Hutchison ’77 Jennifer Warner Janes ’91 La-Dana Renee Jenkins ’94 *Maureen Flynn Kratz ’04 *Don Levine ’78 Molly Mattot ’15 *Steve Messina ’91 Dana Segall Murphy ’99 Cathleen Richards ’09 Mark Salmon ’93 Dan Scaia ’68 Stefen Short ’10 Christie Torruella Smith ’08 Jeffrey Sorensen ’92 Yvonne Spicer ’84 M’85 **Deborah F. Stanley Kevin Sutherland ’05 Rick Yacobush ’77 Thomas Yates ’89 * At large ** Ex officio

Oswego College Foundation Inc. Board of Directors Mary Gibbons Canale ’81 President Michael Durney ’83 Chair Rose Cardamone Crane ’81 Vice Chair Nicholas Lyons Treasurer Doreen Mochrie ’85 Secretary Mark Baum ’81 Louis A. Borrelli Jr. ’77 Bill Burns ’83 Dianora De Marco ’14 M’15 Steve Doran ’82

Bob Garrett ’83 Kendis Gibson ’94 Jack James ’62 Matt Jenal ’78 Gordon Lenz ’58 Peter McCarthy ’82 Robert Moritz ’85 Colleen Murphy ’77 Suzanne Castrigno Sack ’84 Jennifer Shropshire ’86 William Spinelli ’84 Deborah F. Stanley Mark Tryniski ’85 Joe Yacura ’74

State University of New York at Oswego Deborah F. Stanley President Scott R. Furlong Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Nicholas Lyons Vice President for Administration and Finance

Mary Gibbons Canale ’81 Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations Jerald Woolfolk Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management

Office of Alumni and Parent Relations

You can make an Oswego education even better for future generations!

OSWEGO

Elizabeth Locke Oberst Publisher Margaret D. Spillett Editor Eileen Crandall Associate Editor Jennifer Broderick Graphic Design Matt Cummins Online Coordinator Jim Russell ’83 Staff Photographer Lisa Potter In Memoriam Michael Bielak Jeff Durstewitz ’73 Tim Nekritz M’05

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King Alumni Hall, SUNY Oswego, Oswego, NY 13126 Phone: 315-312-2258 Fax: 315-312-4004 Email: alumni@oswego.edu Website: alumni.oswego.edu f facebook.com/oswegoalumni t @oswegoalumni

OSWEGO is published three times a year by the Oswego Alumni Association Inc., King Alumni Hall, State University of New York at Oswego, Oswego, NY 13126. It is distributed free of charge to alumni, friends, faculty, staff and families of current students, with support from The Fund for Oswego.

Printed August 2017.

OSWEGO Alumni Magazine is printed on recycled paper with inks that are non-toxic, contain no heavy metals, and are composed of bio-derived renewable resources ranging from 25-40% (as a percentage of total ink weight).

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ASK Mentoring Program Expands to Include GOLD Alumni he Alumni Sharing Knowledge Program (ASK) is offering Graduates Of the Last Decade (GOLD) alumni a chance to be mentored by fellow alumni.

As of 2017, ASK expanded its programming to all GOLD alumni, as well as second semester first-year students.

“Thanks to our alumni mentors, the ASK program has been a valuable resource to our students for more than two decades,” said Stephanie Lamb ’07, associate director of alumni relations.

“We look forward to serving our recent graduates by helping them build their networks and by providing the support

needed in their post-graduate journeys.” alumni.oswego.edu/ask. Once their ASK is a mentoring program that application is completed, the alumni will matches students and GOLD alumni with be contacted by the ASK coordinator. individual alumni to explore career fields In addition, the ASK program in their interests. The program provides seeks mentors who are willing to help A g l u who have current students and alumni current students and GOLD alumni led mn w o SHARIto graduated in the past 10 years a ichance NG Kn find their paths in their career fields. network, receive advice, conduct informaBy being able to serve more members of the SUNY Oswego community, the tional reviews, visit work sites and learn ASK program can help “build strong the ins-and-outs of their chosen industry. connections and make a larger impact GOLD alumni will be paired with on the community,” Lamb said. l alumni based on their career interests and aspirations. Recent alumni interested —Emily Shaben ’18 in being paired with a mentor can apply by filling out an application online at e

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AIR Program Receives SUNYCUAD Award Last year, 6,725 students connected with an alumni visitor. This number has more than doubled from the 2,975 students reached in 2011-12.

“Getting an opportunity to meet and speak with current students brings back memories of time spent on campus,” said AIR program participant Ron Tascarella ’06, vice president and commercial leader of Pathfinder Bank. “It provides a new connection to the college, as graduation seems like forever ago but still just yesterday at the same time.”

Campus members are also grateful for the program. “The Alumni-In-Residence program is a vital tool for the Financial Management Association,” said Jeffrey Silber ’18, a finance major and FMA president. “By connecting our members with alumni, we are able to provide them with access to crucial advice that will prepare them for the future.”

Rob Auler, a professor in the music department, said the program has enabled him to bring professional musicians into class to perform and speak with students.

“We loved having Nick [Gianopoulos ’07, composer, Los Angeles-based Symbiosis Chamber Orchestra] perform 3

JIM RUSSELL ’83

The Oswego Alumni Association’s AlumniIn-Residence (AIR) Program earned a 2017 Judges’ Citation from the State University of New York Council for University Advancement (SUNYCUAD) during the annual 2017 Awards for Excellence presentation June 8 in Tarrytown, N.Y. The program brings Oswego alumni back to campus to share their knowledge and career experiences with current students through classroom visits, panel discussions, campus-wide presentations or hands-on workshops and critiques.

“We partner with the program to connect hundreds of students to career professionals each year, to help them explore possible majors and careers,” said Jacqueline Campbell Wallace ’02 M’04, assistant director of Career Services.

“With the help of the Alumni Office, we have been able to offer diverse career panels, including careers in education, business, STEM, public and human services, fine and performing arts, media, entertainment and more.”

Over the past five years, the AIR program has grown exponentially from 34 alumni visits in 2011-12 to 164 in 2015-16.

Nick Gianopoulos ’07

and do a Q&A at the faculty concert,” Auler said. “We received rave reviews about his involvement. He also was incredibly influential to the students in the three music classes he visited.”

The program is coordinated by Stephanie Lamb ’07, associate director of alumni relations, and is supported by gifts to The Fund for Oswego. l —Margaret Spillett Read more about Spring 2017 AIR visits at oswego.edu/magazine.

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2017 Honors Convocation Recognizes Student Achievements JIM RUSSELL ’83

Keynote speaker Dr. Raelynn Cooter ’77 extended her congratulations to students and shared her thoughts on having the courage to pursue dreams.

Keynote speaker Dr. Raelynn Cooter ’77

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UNY Oswego’s top academic and civicminded students were honored April 7 at the annual Honors Convocation in the Marano Campus Center arena.

About 140 students were recognized for their achievements during the 2016-17 academic year. The Honors Convocation brings together the Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence recipients—the highest honor bestowed on a student in the State University of New York system (see story on page 9)—as well as individual award recipients and student honorees from each of the four schools of SUNY Oswego.

“ Your presence here today clearly demonstrates that you are committed scholars— students who are not just interested in getting a degree, but intent on excelling in your chosen fields of study and taking full advantage of the significant opportunities that are being provided to you by this incredible institution that we call SUNY Oswego,” Dr. Cooter said.

Her keynote included three main themes: keeping the faith that there is a “greater good” toward which to strive; dreaming beyond what is thought possible; and relying on the wealth of knowledge already possessed.

“I’m certain there are specifics in each of your lives that will influence how your own journey might reflect these concepts,” Dr. Cooter said to students.

“My hope is that at the broadest level they will resonate with you during your remaining time at Oswego and after you graduate and begin the next phase of your life and professional career.”

Dr. Cooter is associate provost for academic infrastructure at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, where she also serves as the university’s accreditation liaison to Middle States Association.

She is a member of the Oswego Alumni Association board of directors, the Sheldon Legacy Society steering committee and the general scholarship committee. She has established her own SUNY Oswego scholarship in memory of her parents.

Dr. Cooter earned a degree in sociology from SUNY Oswego, and went on to earn a master’s degree in human services administration from the Rochester Institute of Technology in 1984 and a doctorate in higher education administration in 1994.

The Honors Convocation is sponsored

by Vega, the women’s honor society at SUNY Oswego. The State Singers, directed

by Mihoko Tsutsumi, performed for the convocation honorees and guests. l —Eileen Crandall

Lauren Cutler ’17 of North Canton, Ohio, received the Oswego Alumni Association’s 2017 Outstanding Senior Award during the Commencement Eve Dinner on May 12 in the convocation center and arena in the Marano Campus Center. She was selected based on her academic achievements, campus involvement and service to her community. Throughout her four years, she has been very active and held leadership positions in the Newman Club, Hall Newman Center, Meteorology Club, Women in STEM and Omicron Delta Kappa. She also served as a first-year peer advisor, an on-air meteorologist for the student-run TV station WTOP and a student researcher on the Ontario Winter Lake-effect Systems (OWLeS) project. For the next year, she is volunteering in Tornado Alley with the FEMA Corps, a program housed with the AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps dedicated to disaster preparedness, response and recovery. The Outstanding Senior Award was established by the 2005 Senior Class Planning Committee and is funded by Alice Massimi Crouch ’02. l

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JIM RUSSELL ’83

Meteorology Major Selected as 2017 Outstanding Senior

The Oswego Alumni Association 2017 Outstanding senior Lauren Cutler ’17 (center), with college President Deborah F. Stanley and Cutler’s nominator, Michael Huynh ’98 M’03.

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SUNY Oswego Recognizes 2017 Graduates in Three Ceremonies

The Commencement Eve Torchlight Ceremony brought together the Class of 2017 and alumni from as early as 1948 who welcomed them into the alumni association. From left are Rachel Edic ’17 M’18, college President Deborah F. Stanley, student speaker Justin Dobrow ’17 (at podium) and keynote speaker and emcee Aunreé Houston ’00.

Student Speaker Unites Classmates through his 2017 Torchlight Address Commencement Eve Torchlight Student Speaker Justin Dobrow ’17, a broadcasting and mass communication major, addressed his fellow graduates, pointing out the shared experiences that he and his classmates had during their four years. He encouraged them to remember their alma mater and their supporters and offered a bit of parting advice: “Do something that will help change the life of at least one person,” he said. “We get so caught up in the now, and the things we want, that sometimes we can forget about the other people next to us who just need that one person to lean on. We’re the future; let’s learn to love others as best we can.” l

SUNY Oswego awarded nearly 2,100 undergraduate and graduate degrees during the May 13 Commencement ceremonies. The following featured speakers addressed the 2017 graduates during three ceremonies: Dr. Vincent Intondi M’03, associate professor of history and director of the Institute for Race, Justice and Community Engagement at Montgomery College in Takoma Park, Md., for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; Thomas W. Schneider, president and CEO of Pathfinder Bank, for the School of Business, where Schneider serves as an adjunct professor and on the School of Business Advisory Board; and Grammy-winning composer Richard Einhorn, who has written for opera, orchestra, chamber, film, dance and multimedia, for the School of Education and the School of Communication, Media and the Arts. l

JIM RUSSELL ’83

College Celebrates Commencement Eve Torchlight Dinner and Ceremony Aunrée Houston ’00 reminded graduates and their families of the importance of opportunities, their uniqueness and their supporters during his 2017 Commencement Eve Torchlight Dinner keynote address on May 12 in the Marano Campus Center.

“Oswego allowed me to spread my wings by providing me with opportunities to develop personally, professionally, domestically and internationally. Remember the importance

of opportunities,” said Houston, vice president of operations for programming sales at HBO. “Oswego was to me what Paris was to the great writer, James Baldwin. I was free to be myself—a black, gay, creative, eccentric young man from Harlem, New York. Remember your uniqueness.” l

2017 Commencement Eve Torchlight Dinner keynote speaker Aunrée Houston ’00

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Students Form Sweet Partnership with Man in the Moon JIM RUSSELL ’83

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UNY Oswego students taking classes in a wide range of majors recently celebrated a two-semester partnership to promote downtown Oswego’s Man in the Moon Candies, a sweet campus-community project under the Smart Neighbors initiative.

Marketing plans, multimedia storytelling, photography, sociological analysis, avant-garde filmmaking and sculptured candy molds—these and more hands-on projects in eight classes across five academic disciplines sought to assist the West First Street business.

“As students, this project helps us step out of our comfort zones,” said dual major in journalism and creative writing Emily Shaben ’18, who co-produced “Sweet Refuge,” a slideshow with special effects.

“We forget that a huge part of why we’re here is networking and getting out into the community,” Shaben said. “This project gives us the confidence to do that.”

Man in the Moon Candies owner Amy Stone-Lear said she enjoyed the student teams’ fact-finding visits to the store. “It was a great experience working with the students and reconnecting with college-age perspectives,” she said.

Downtown businesses try a variety of ways to attract traffic from SUNY Oswego, Stone-Lear said. “I enjoyed introducing students who hadn’t gotten around the community to my business and welcoming them downtown,” she said. “I really felt honored to be asked, to be the first major (Smart Neighbors) project.”

SUNY Oswego students (from left) Jesse Zavaro ’17, Marissa Specioso ’16 M’18 and Brittney Castagna ’18 are among dozens who are partnered with Man in the Moon Candies and its owner, Amy Stone-Lear (right), through the Smart Neighbors project.

Leigh Wilson, director of interdisciplinary programs and activities for the college, said Smart Neighbors began in 2015-16 as a pilot project with River’s End Bookstore. With the support of grants from the SUNY Performance and Investment Fund and the Richard S. Shineman Foundation, Smart Neighbors took its multidisciplinary initiative in “common problem pedagogy” to the next level in 2016-17 with Man in the Moon Candies.

“One of the great things for me with this project, it’s worked so well to get students working together, to get them learning about each other’s method of approaching problem-solving,” Wilson said.

Please update your email address!

In our ongoing efforts to decrease costs and be more “green,” some regional events will only be marketed via email.

Please make sure to send us your current email address so you won’t miss out on Oswego coming to your town and other important news from campus! alumni@oswego.edu | 315-312-2258

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Experimental Approach Participating faculty members are Stathis Kefallonitis in Marketing Management, Laura Donnelly in Advanced Poetry, Donna Steiner in Literary Citizenship, Julieve Jubin in Digital Photography, Jacob Dodd in Experimental Filmmaking, Evelyn Benavides in Race, Class, Ethnicity and Gender, and Ben Entner in Sculpture 1 and Sculpture 2.

Colin Stafford ’17, a cinema and screen studies major, said Dodd gave his students great leeway in deciding on an experimental approach to making films about the candy shop. Stone-Lear was extraordinarily cooperative, he said.

“Working with her was one of my greatest experiences here,” Stafford said.

“She was so open to any ideas you had, even if they sounded a bit crazy.”

As generous as Stone-Lear was with her time, students such as those in Entner’s sculpture classes were generous with their labor, donating molds such as chocolate silhouettes of famous Oswegonians, including Mary Walker.

Many other student contributions in the Smart Neighbors initiative are freely available on digitaloz.oswego.edu. l —Jeff Rea ’71

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A state-administered grant program recently boosted its longtime support of Rice Creek Field Station to $175,000 over five years—a $10,000-a-year bump that has enabled hiring of student curators for animal collections and much more.

“We are very excited about it,” said biological sciences professor Kamal Mohamed, director of Rice Creek, the college’s teaching, research and community resource on 400 acres of mixed terrain off Thompson Road in the town of Oswego. “So was Dr. Diann [Jackson M’88, assistant director], because she’s so involved with public education. It’s a big deal.”

The Zoos, Botanical Gardens and Aquariums (ZBGA) grant provides support for specimens and supplies; for replacement or restoration of old taxidermy and other parts of the collections, field guides and manuals for Rice Creek’s library; and for naturalists from area schools to do interpretive walks, according to Mohamed.

And the funds have directly benefited two zoology majors, Cayla Turner ’18 and Cori Monaco ’18, as well as students who will succeed them as collections curators.

“I feel this job has taught me to fully follow instructions and be confident in myself,” Turner said. “Once we learned the [restoration] task, we were largely doing work on our own.”

Monaco agreed, saying she has been able “to stretch myself more and handle lab tasks and coordinate with others. And it’s

JIM RUSSELL ’83

Grant Supports Student Experiences with Rice Creek Collection

Student curators Cayla Turner ’18 (left) and Cori Monaco ’18, both zoology majors, help to restore a beaver taxidermy specimen from one of Rice Creek Field Station’s animal materials collections.

made me appreciate the specimens we have.” She pointed to a giant salamander—the so-called Congo eel is more than a foot long and has four tiny legs—in a laboratory jar as an example within collections of amphibians, birds, mammals, reptiles and fish.

“Our job is to make sure the jars and the (preservative) alcohol get replaced so specimens can be used in class,” Monaco said. “The field station will get to buy a lot of replacement jars—the Bakelite seals start to fail and the metal lids tend to rust.” l —Jeff Rea ’71 JIM RUSSELL ’83

Student Tax Preparers Get Perfect Marks SUNY Oswego’s student-driven Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program recently received a 100-percent score of the Quality Site Requirements in its IRS field audit. Shown working at a spring session are accounting majors (seated from left) Elena Margrey ’17 M’18 and Jason Krause ’17 M’18, and (standing) Derek Holden ’17 M’18. The program provides free tax-return service to local residents and received a commendation for being among the few sites during the 2017 filing season showing an increase in return production, or accepted e-files, over last season, according to School of Business Dean Richard Skolnik. l PROVIDED

Brazilian State Honors Alfred Frederick’s Contributions to Education Sen. Themístocles Sampaio, president of Piauí’s Legislative Assembly in Brazil, presented an award to Dr. Alfred Frederick (left), Distinguished Service Professor of Curriculum and Instruction at SUNY Oswego, during a March 14 ceremony held at the state Legislative Assembly of Piauí. The award named him Citizen of the State of Piauí for his quarter-century of contributions to educational development in the northeastern Brazilian state and other regions in Brazil. Frederick has received international acclaim as a scholar focused on bringing people together across ethnic and cultural boundaries through education. l

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New York State Budget Includes First-in-the-Nation, Tuition-Free Scholarship Program SUSAN KAHN

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overnor Andrew M. Cuomo announced on April 8, 2017, that the Excelsior Scholarship will provide tuitionfree college at New York’s public colleges and universities. It is included in the fiscal year 2018 budget agreement. The program will be phased in over three years, beginning in fall 2017. It will first apply to families that earn $100,000 or less, then to those that earn $110,000 or less in 2018, and eventually reaching $125,000 or less in 2019.

“We applaud Governor Cuomo and the Legislature on a budget agreement that helps make college more affordable to a

JIM RUSSELL ’83

Community-Minded Student Honored as Newman Civic Fellow

greater number of New York students and families,” said SUNY Oswego President Deborah F. Stanley. “The Excelsior Scholarship expands access to many more deserving students and the five-year tuition plan approved ensures college costs are predictable and transparent for all SUNY students and their families.”

President Stanley added, “SUNY Oswego has a long-standing commitment to higher education access, college completion and cost predictability, and we look forward to further expanding our support of students and their families as a result of this budget agreement.”

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Highlights of the Excelsior Scholarship: l

A student will need to complete 30 credit hours per year to maintain the award.

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Family adjusted gross income must be less than $100,000 for fall 2017 recipients.

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Students will need to maintain satisfactory progress toward completion of their degree.

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a student does not maintain satisfactory progress, they will lose the award and not be allowed to get it back.

Sahar Rajput ’17 of Scotia, N.Y., student president of Community Services, recently earned a Newman Civic Fellowship in recognition of her commitment to community service and campus-community partnerships. She was one of only 273 people selected for the honor by the Campus Compact. Rajput, a communication and social interaction major with minors in psychology and business administration, will attend an annual conference, this year scheduled for Nov. 17-18 in Boston, and will have access to scholarships and a network of past honorees and others focused on building campus-community partnerships to address public problems and build equitable communities. l OSWEGO

SUNY Oswego students who receive the scholarship will still have a bill of approximately $16,000 a year to pay in room, board and other costs of attendance. Gifts to The Fund for Oswego help ease that burden of debt and ensure that the college provides the best support and resources to its students. Learn more about The Fund at develop@oswego.edu, alumni.oswego.edu/givenow or 315-312-3003.

For more information, to access frequently asked questions or to sign up to receive updates on the Excelsior Scholarship, visit “The Excelsior Scholarship Is Leading the Way to College Affordability” or hesc.ny.gov. l —Wayne Westervelt

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must live in New York state after graduation for the same number of years they receive the award, or they will need to repay the award.

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must complete their academic program in four years or five years (for applicable undergraduate programs).

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New and current students may apply.

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Chancellor’s Award Honors Four Outstanding Students, Three for Professional and Classified Service SUNY Oswego students active in academics, research, leadership, athletics and community service received the 2017 SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence—the highest student recognition through the statewide university system.

This year’s Oswego honorees for outstanding achievements inside and outside the classroom are Abigail Boyce ’17 of Lockport, N.Y., a finance major with a minor in statistics; Tatiana Gregory ’17 of Brooklyn, N.Y., a biochemistry major with minors in health science and nutrition; Nicholas Noviasky ’17 of Cassville, N.Y., a physics major and mathematics minor; and Lauren Saroli ’17 of Fairport, N.Y., a zoology major and chemistry minor.

The statewide university system also recently honored SUNY Oswego’s Christy Harrison Huynh ’98 M’08 CAS’08, associate director of career services, and Dr. Richard Kolenda, assistant vice president for residence life and housing, with the 2017 Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Professional Service, and Jo Ann Richardson received the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Classified Service.

Abigail Boyce ’17

Tatiana Gregory ’17

Nicholas Noviasky ’17

Lauren Saroli ’17

Abigail Boyce ’17

Nicholas Noviasky ’17

A founding member and treasurer of SUNY Oswego’s Women in Business, she served as a leader in several financial student organizations and with The Oswegonian. A track and field athlete for four years and team captain for two, she has set several school records while competing in hurdles and triple jump. Boyce has been named to the national and SUNYAC All-Academic teams.

Recipient of a highly selective National Science Foundation internship last summer in materials science and engineering at University of Nebraska-Lincoln, he coauthored a study on lithium-ion batteries, and won the Best Undergraduate Poster Award at the 2016 statewide meeting of the American Physical Society. He served as the Physics Club vice president and was a Sigma Xi honor society member.

Tatiana Gregory ’17 Gregory served as a leader in several student organizations, including the Student Association Volunteer Ambulance Corps, Relay for Life and Shaun Cassidy Fan Club improv comedy troupe. She was a research assistant during academic travel to Brazil and on campus. She earned induction to Omicron Delta Kappa honor society, was an Honors Student Advisory Board member and was SAVAC’s Director of the Year.

Lauren Saroli ’17 Founder and president of the Oswego Zoological Student Association, Saroli’s key research involves assessing impacts of Lake Ontario’s contaminants on lake trout physiology. She helped rebuild homes after Hurricane Sandy, worked for the Carolina Tiger Rescue and repaired flooded homes in Oneida, N.Y. Saroli was involved in the Omicron Delta Kappa honor society, Vega women’s honor society and the Honors Student Advisory Board. l —Jeff Rea ’71

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Christy Harrison Huynh ’98 M’08 CAS’08 A staff member since 2002, Huynh was recognized for her creativity and innovation, strategic thinking, dedication to the college and to students’ success, and distinguished campus and community service.

Her achievements include helping the college attain the prestigious Carnegie Community Engagement Classification, assisting the Office of Career Services to adopt a new “industry-centric” model, helping hundreds of undeclared students explore majors and careers, and teaching students about their own core values.

Dr. Richard Kolenda Starting his career as a residence hall director in 1978, Kolenda rose through the ranks taking over as director in 2008 and then advancing to his current position of assistant vice president of residence life and housing. Under Kolenda’s leadership, the college opened the Village, an award-winning townhouse development for upperclassmen, and renovated and revitalized existing residence halls. His community service includes years of coaching and other volunteerism in youth baseball.

Jo Ann Richardson For 15 years, Richardson has served as the main face of International Student and Scholar Services at SUNY Oswego. She was recognized for her consistent and outstanding service to students, especially international students and scholars who have grown from approximately 70 people to more than 225 students from 34 countries.

Her attention to detail in helping process students’ immigration documents, health insurance, on-campus accommodations and visa status compliance helped the office achieve a 100-percent student service satisfaction rating by the International Student Barometer. l

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March Matchness 2017 Ends In Victory for SUNY Oswego SUNY Oswego Graduates Of the Last Decade (GOLD) joined together in support for the 2017 March Matchness fundraising challenge. The Class of 2016 earned bragging rights as the class with the highest number of donors.

The goal was to encourage at least 300 alumni from the classes of 2007-16 to make a gift to The Fund for Oswego, with the promise that Oswego Alumni Association board member Dr. Raelynn Cooter ’77 would make a gift of $25,000 if it was met. The challenge aims to support current and future student programs and experiences.

“I knew the Oswego GOLD community would rally to meet this ambitious challenge,” Dr. Cooter said. “It was exciting to see the team captains and their classmates share their Laker pride and raise funds for the college.”

A GOLD alumnus set up his own minichallenge to help encourage other alumni to make gifts. Tyler Edic ’13 said he would donate an additional $5 for every member of the Class of 2013 who participated in March Matchness.

March Matchness

Including the challenge gifts, a total of $34,318.24 was raised by the 2017 March Matchness campaign, with a total of 360 gifts collected throughout the month. The accounted for 87 percent of the campaign’s campaign netted a 13-percent increase in gifts. donors as compared to 2016. In fact, 47 “It’s exciting to see our GOLD alumni percent of the March Matchness particicome together to support their alma pants were new donors to The Fund for mater,” she said. “The gifts they give make Oswego. a difference every day in the experiences of Throughout the month, alumni took to today’s students.” l social media to help raise awareness for —Emily Shaben ’18 the college’s event. GOLD Leadership Council members Sara Cooper ’14 Sara Cooper and Bridget Jackson ’15 encouraged other alumni My fellow @oswegoalumni: I just made my on Twitter to make #OZmatchness gift & so should you! 300 their own gift GOLD donors secures $25K for students. towards March Matchness.

Bridget Jackson According to Melissa Manwaring ’01, director of developHey c/o ’15 @oswegoalumni have you donated ment and campaigns, alumni using yet?! Class with the most donors wins, donate their social media accounts helped ANY amount! #OZmatchness. to make the connections needed to reach the ambitious goal. In addition, alumni who answered the phone calls of SUNY Oswego student Telefund callers

Find the Founder!

In the spring 2017 issue, the Sheldon statue can be found on a table in the Technology Conference picture on page 7. We also gave credit to those who found it within the 2017 Reunion logo on the inside front cover. Grand prize winner of a College Store gift certificate and a Sheldon Hall print is Christian King M’00. Winning Sheldon Hall prints are Walter Kluge ’51, Marlene Gilbert Miner ’55, Jim Bushneck ’80, Richard Galloway ’97 and Elise Robinson ’07. A tiny replica of the Sheldon statue, pictured above, is hidden somewhere in this issue.

Find the Founder and send us a letter or email with the location and page number with your name, class year and address. We will draw one entry at random from all the correct answers and the winner will receive a $25 gift certificate to the College Store and a print of Sheldon Hall. The next five entries drawn will receive Sheldon Hall prints. Send your entry to Find the Founder, King Alumni Hall, 300 Washington Blvd., Oswego, N.Y., 13126, or email to findthefounder@ oswego.edu. Entries must be postmarked or emailed by Oct. 1. l OSWEGO

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COLLEGE’S 2016 ANNUAL REPORT ONLINE—The creation of the SUNY Undergraduate Mathematics Success (SUMS) initiative, new interdisciplinary academic degrees and Lakeside Media, a student-staffed, campus-based video production company, are a few of the accomplishments highlighted in The Oswego Way, the college’s 2016 annual report. The web-based report also includes key statistics, awards, faculty contributions, research programs, arts and athletics achievements and community partnerships. Review the entire report online at oswego.edu/ annual-report-2016. l

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Oswego Endowment Continues to Outperform Industry Average 10%

Oswego Endowment Performance (Year ended June 30, 2016) 7.9%

8.0%

7.3%

7.2% 6.1%

6.0%

6.0%

5.2% 5.2%

5.4% 5.4%

3-Year

5-Year

5.7% 5.0% 5.0%

4.0%

2.0% 1.0%

0.0%

-2.0%

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1-Year

-1.9% -1.6% -1.9%

Oswego

ucking the national trend, the latest endowment report for SUNY Oswego shows a gain of 1 percent for 2015-16 fiscal year, which is 2.9 percent higher than the average return of -1.9 percent nationally, according to the 2016 National Association of College and University Business Officers—Commonfund Study of Endowments, released in March 2017. The college also outperformed the national 10-year return average of 5 percent by returning 7.2 percent. This number is particularly significant because it allows the college to maintain a 5-percent target spending rate while covering the 10-year inflation rate of 1.7 percent.

Using data collected from 805 participating U.S. colleges and universities, the study showed that SUNY Oswego is fairly unique in being able to cover its costs and maintain its usual 5-percent endowment spending.

NACUBO Survey Average

10-Year $25M to $50M

Over $1 Billion

“Our most recent campaign and the generous gifts of more than 16,000 donors had an incredible impact on the overall growth of our endowment,” said President Deborah F. Stanley. “We are grateful to all of our donors, and our incredible College Foundation Board of Directors and Investment Committee have been instrumental in our success. They have done a remarkable job in stewarding the gifts made to the college, so that we are able to maintain our deep commitment to student support and hands-on experiences.”

SUNY Oswego’s results exceeded the one-year, three-year, five-year and 10-year performance of its peer group of colleges with $25 million to $50 million endowments, as well as its aspirational peer group of universities with endowments over $1 billion. See chart above.

“The latest survey results continue the trend of SUNY Oswego’s endowment

outperforming peers, and we take our fiduciary responsibilities very seriously,” said Mary Gibbons Canale ’81, president of the College Foundation and vice president of development and alumni relations. “Our alumni and friends know that the college will do its best to ensure that their gifts are invested wisely to ensure the full benefit for SUNY Oswego students.”

On June 30, 2016, the college completed the largest campaign in its history, raising $43.48 million during With Passion & Purpose and increasing the endowment from $11.5 million to more than $33.5 million today.

“Our goal is to never take undue current risk and to focus on the long term—never stretching for short-term performance while potentially risking longterm success,” said Mark Slayton, Oswego College Foundation director of finance.

“The campaign results, combined with the strong relative investment return performance, resulted in Oswego finishing 10th on the list of 815 participating institutions in endowment growth, with an overall 28.8percent growth rate.”

Canale also credited the endowment’s success to the diligent work of Slayton, the College Foundation’s board and the investment committee.

“We have a great group of dedicated individuals who want to see the college not just succeed, but thrive,” she said. l —Margaret Spillett

College Development Program Receives National Recognition The Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) recognized SUNY Oswego with a 2017 Educational Fundraising Award for the college’s overall performance improvement from 2014-15 to 2015-16. CASE judges select winners based on data submitted to the Council for Aid to Education’s Voluntary Support of Education survey.

The judging reviews overall performance improvement from academic years 201415 to 2015-16. Only three other institutions received this award, in the category of public comprehensive institutions with endowments of less than $35 million. l

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DORI GRONICH ’17

New Health, Physical Ed Professional Certification Offered

Flexibility is the watchword for SUNY Oswego’s newly approved path to professional certification for graduate students teaching K-12 health education and physical education—many of whom also coach sports or have other career commitments.

Graduate student Morgan Nandin M’17, assistant coach of the college’s softball team, expressed delight at the timing of the state’s approval for the new specialist track. She earned her master’s degree in education this summer.

“My goal with graduate school was to work toward my professional certification in physical education,” Nandin said. “Once I graduated from Oswego, I was going to have to apply to the state to see if (the coursework) would count. I’m so glad this went through.”

For more information, contact Kris Rusho at 315-312-3504, email gradstudies@oswego.edu or visit oswego.edu/graduate. l —Jeff Rea ’71

The new specialist track for teachers pursuing a SUNY Oswego master’s degree in curriculum and instruction recently earned SUNY and state Education Department approvals. In New York, teachers must obtain a master’s degree in education within five years of their initial certification, which means their early career often includes classrooms in graduate school, as well as in elementary, middle or high schools.

Oswego’s program, though, offers an option of online or face-to-face classes.

“Many of the courses for professional certification [in health or physical education]—including all of the health courses— are offered online,” said Sandra Bargainnier, chair of health promotion and wellness in the School of Education.

Provost, Vice President for Academic Affairs Named r. Scott R. Furlong joined SUNY Oswego as provost and vice president for academic affairs, effective July 10, 2017.

As the college’s chief academic officer, Furlong is responsible for leadership of all instructional and academic programs across the college, including Oswego’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, School of Business, School of Education, and School of Communication, Media and the Arts.

“Dr. Furlong has an outstanding record of leadership and collaboration in higher education, and is passionately committed to teaching, research development and providing students with a transformative experience,” said President Deborah F. Stanley. “His roles as a faculty member, program director and chair, and more recently as dean have prepared him well to make immediate contributions as the chief academic officer at SUNY Oswego.”

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Dr. Scott R. Furlong

Most recently, Furlong was the dean of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of WisconsinGreen Bay, where he oversaw 30 academic programs, six research centers and institutes, more than 110 faculty and academic staff, and a budget of over $8 million.

“I am extremely grateful and humbled by my selection as the new provost/vice president for academic affairs for SUNY Oswego,” Furlong said. “Everything that I

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learned throughout the search process showed a true dedication by the Oswego community to the development and success of Oswego students through highquality and varied academic programs, high-impact experiences and community engagement. These are all areas that I am very passionate about, and I look forward to working with the SUNY Oswego community to build on its successes and continue its forward trajectory.”

Furlong earned a doctorate in political science from American University. He also earned a master’s in public administration from American University, and a bachelor’s in government from St. Lawrence University.

In his spare time, Furlong enjoys exercising, reading, spending time with family and keeping up on current events as a policy scholar. Furlong succeeds Dr. Walter Roettger as provost and vice president for academic affairs. l —Wayne Westervelt

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Eichhorn Named Dean of Graduate Studies

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r. Kristen Campbell Eichhorn, a former Presidential Faculty Fellow and chair of communication studies, became dean of graduate studies, effective July 1.

Recently completing an American Council on Education Fellowship at Cornell University, Eichhorn succeeds Dr. Mary C. Toale, interim dean of the Division of Graduate Studies since December, who returns to her role as professor and chair of communication studies.

Promoted to full professor in 2014, Eichhorn has a distinguished record of teaching, research and service in her nearly 10 years with the college, including serving as one of two senators to the SUNY-wide Faculty Senate.

Serving as chair of communication

studies for four years, Eichjournals as the Journal of Computer-Mediated horn provided leadership for Communication, Human 43 full- and part-time faculty, Communication and Intersupport personnel and professional staff, as well as more national Journal of Leaderthan 850 students in four ship Studies. undergraduate programs. She Eichhorn earned a led the development of newly bachelor’s degree in crafted, measurable student communication studies learning outcomes and threeand Spanish from Canisius year assessment plans, and College, a master’s in supervised the acquisition of Dr. Kristen Campbell Eichhorn communication research new technology and the update from West Virginia Univerof facilities. sity and doctorate in communication Eichhorn’s many publications include research from the University of Miami. two editions as co-author of the wellShe was a 2013 participant in the Amerregarded textbook Interpersonal Commuican Council on Education’s Regional Women’s Leadership Forum. l nication: Building Rewarding Relationships.

She also has published research in such —Wayne Westervelt

Three Faculty Earn Awards for Scholarly, Creative Activity Kestas Bendinskas of chemistry and Juan Perdiguero of art have earned the President’s Award for Scholarly and Creative Activity at SUNY Oswego, while Christopher Chandler of biological sciences received the Provost’s Award for Scholarly and Creative Activity.

The President’s Award honors tenured faculty for exemplary mastery of subject matter, effectiveness in teaching, and scholarly and creative achievements; the Provost’s Award similarly honors a junior faculty member.

Bendinskas joined SUNY Oswego in 2003 to create the biochemistry program, and he has attracted more than $5 million in research funding from such agenKestas Bendinskas cies as the National Science Foundation.

He serves as the primary editor of the American Journal of Undergraduate Research, and he has also had numerous articles published. The current director of the college’s Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics Center, Bendinskas also has had key leadership roles in the Scholarly and Creative Activities Committee and Sigma Xi research honor society at Oswego, as well as organizing a number of talks and events on campus.

Perdiguero’s drawings in the 2016 Oxford University Press publication Drawing Essentials present his work as exemplary to a large audience. Perdiguero also has been invited Juan Perdiguero to teach master classes in drawing in the United States, Spain, the Netherlands, Mexico and Chile. An Oswego faculty member since 2002 and a recognized expert in art conservation, he also has held visiting artist appointments and residencies in the United States, Spain, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands and Mexico. Within the art department, Perdiguero has lent his energy, expertise and leadership skills to coordinating the drawing academic area, studio program and master of art in art teaching studio track.

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Since coming to Oswego in 2012, Chandler, an evolutionary genetics expert, has published seven peer-reviewed journal articles and co-authored a book chapter on genomics.

Christopher He also has authored Chandler or co-authored 10 oral presentations and eight poster presentations at national, regional and local conferences. The National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development grant that Chandler earned in 2015 is the foundation’s top award. It supports junior faculty teacher-scholars who perform and integrate outstanding research and education. l —Tim Nekritz M’05

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MBA Programs Continue to Earn National Rankings

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n an era when many schools of business struggle to attract female students, SUNY Oswego’s MBA program placed No. 5 nationally on a U.S. News Short List for enrolling the highest percentage of women—nearly 53 percent during fall 2016.

In announcing the list of just six colleges and universities with enrollments of more than half —and four with nearly half — women in MBA programs, U.S. News reported that fewer than 40 percent of fulltime MBA students enrolled at ranked business schools nationally were women in fall 2016. Female students were in the minority at 122 of the 130 ranked business schools that provided gender-ratio statistics to U.S. News in an annual survey.

The affordability of a SUNY Oswego MBA took center stage in another U.S. News Short List, this one listing 10 business schools where those earning MBAs had average starting salaries well above the average amount of MBA student debt.

Oswego’s salary-to-debt ratio was nearly 3:1.

SUNY Oswego’s School of Business also

JIM RUSSELL ’83

Noteworthy News

in January 2017. In appears on the those rankings, new U.S. News Oswego tops all and World Report schools in New York graduate school state. rankings as the Oswego—the highest-ranking first comprehensive institution in college in the SUNY Central New York Charlene Assam ’16 M’17 from Cameroon was system to offer an for part-time MBA degree, starting in MBA programs. among the MBA degree recipients in May. 1997—has increased the The college options students have for specializing within ranks 151st in the listing, released March 14. their graduate business studies, offering Oswego is one of only three public colleges MBA programs in health services adminisin New York in the rankings — and only one of two SUNY schools, tied with SUNY at tration, management and public accounting.

Albany at 151st.

The college also offers a variety of five-year The data for the short lists rises from options that combine an MBA with such U.S. News’ respected and oft-cited survey of bachelor’s degrees as broadcasting, 471 schools in its 2016 survey of business psychology and public accounting. programs. Among other areas of interest to MBA delivery options include classprospective students, schools self-reported room-based in Oswego and/or at SUNY myriad data regarding their academic Oswego in Syracuse, blended classroomprograms and the demographic makeup of online programs and the well-regarded their student body. online MBA. The latest rankings join many others for For more information on Oswego’s SUNY Oswego’s MBA program, most MBA programs, visit oswego.edu/mba or notably 20th in U.S. News’ “Best Online email mba@oswego.edu. l Degree Programs: MBA” rankings, released —Jeff Rea ’71 PROVIDED

Contemporary Take on ‘Pride & Prejudice’ The SUNY Oswego theatre department staged Jon Jory’s adaptation of the 19th century Jane Austen novel Pride & Prejudice last spring. From left are cast members of the Bennet family (in back, from left): Mrs. Bennet (Cadi Hannold ’18) and Mr. Bennet (Evan Debevec-McKenney ’17); and the Bennet sisters (from left) Jane (Logan Colby-Rowe ’18), Lydia (Sydney Lattenhauer ’19), Mary (Marisa Miner ’20), Kitty (Kayla Bonasera ’20) and Elizabeth (Alexandra Matsu ’18). l

PROVIDED

New SUNY Chancellor Announced

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tate University of New York Chancellor-elect Dr. Kristina M. Johnson (left) will serve as the 13th chancellor of SUNY effective Sept. 5. She succeeds Chancellor Nancy Zimpher (right), who stepped down from the position in June after an eight-year term. Johnson is a former Johns Hopkins University provost, Duke University Pratt School of Engineering dean and U.S. Undersecretary of Energy. She earned a B.S. with distinction, an M.S. and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Stanford University. She is an inventor and entrepreneur who holds 118 U.S. and international patents. l Learn more about the new Chancellor online oswego.edu/magazine.

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Events

Visit alumni.oswego.edu for complete listing.

Three Named to College Foundation Board

Sept. 9

Alumni Mets Game in New York City*

Sept. 22-23 Men’s Soccer Alumni Reunion*

Dianora De Marco ’14 M’15

Kendis Gibson ’94

Three alumni have been named to the Oswego College Foundation Board of Directors for a term of three years, effective July 1.

Dianora De Marco ’14 M’15, Kendis Gibson ’94 and Jennifer Shropshire ’86 joined the volunteer Board of Directors. The board sets policy, approves the operating budget and holds fiduciary responsibility of private funds contributed to the foundation.

De Marco completed the 5-year B.S./ MBA program in accounting/management in 2015. She is currently manager of accounting policy at Financial Executives International (FEI), a leading advocate for corporate financial management.

Emmy-award winning Gibson has most recently been named ABC’s America This Morning and World News Now co-anchor.

Kendis joined ABC News in December 2014, and since then he has covered the massive Santa Barbara oil spill, the FIFA scandal in Switzerland and terrorist attacks in Europe.

CNY Career Connections in Syracuse, N.Y.*

Sept. 29- Oct. 1

40th Annual Ron Humphreys ’77 Memorial Alumni Classic Men’s Soccer Reunion*

Oct. 13

Green and Gold Day*

Oct. 13

Oswego Alumni Association Board of Directors Meeting*

Oct. 13

Oswego College Foundation Board of Directors Meeting**

Oct. 14

Homecoming 2017*

Oct. 14

Athletic Hall of Fame Induction*

Oct. 26

Dr. Lewis B. O’Donnell Media Summit*

Jennifer Shropshire ’86

A native of Belize, his resume also includes roles as reporter and anchor for CBS News and CNN, to name just a few.

Shropshire is the owner and principal of Edward F. Swenson & Associates Inc. in Philadelphia. She provides customized management and fundraising counsel exclusively for non-profit organizations as a strategist, facilitator, coach, trainer and practitioner. Her clients represent the full gamut of the non-profit sector. She also served on the Oswego Alumni Association Board of Directors for 20 years, including as president. She was awarded the Alumni Service Award for her philanthropy and service to SUNY Oswego during Reunion 2017 in June.

Marcia Thompson-Young ’81 concluded her time on the board, receiving the thanks of the board and her alma mater for her years of generous service. l —Eileen Crandall

Nov. 12

Alumni Buffalo Bills Game in Buffalo, N.Y.*

Feb. 23-25

Black Student Union 50th Anniversary Celebration*

May 11

Commencement Eve Torchlight Ceremony*

Mark Your Calendars Now: June 7-10

Reunion 2018

* Alumni and Parent Relations, 315-312-2258 ** University Development, 315-312-3003

alumni.oswego.edu/events SATURDAY, OCT. 14, 2017

Special Alumni Survey PROVIDED

Campus Hosts Sustainability Leader Winona LaDuke Activist Winona LaDuke shared her personal experiences and provided insight on ways to be more self-sufficient with the SUNY Oswego community during a March 28 appearance in the Sheldon Hall ballroom.

LaDuke, best known as a sustainability proponent, women’s rights advocate and a vice presidential candidate, spoke on the SUNY Oswego campus as a part of the I Am Oz Diversity Speaker Series. She is also the author of the Winona LaDuke Chronicles and various other novels. Support for the event was provided by the Sustainability Speaker Series and the Feinberg Family Fund, estab-

Sept. 28

Calling all alumni!

The Oswego Alumni Association is conducting a voluntary survey of all alumni to explore your opinions of SUNY Oswego’s correspondence and engagement with you as well as your impressions of the college’s image. Complete the survey online to be entered into a drawing for a $200 VISA gift card and cool Oswego swag at:

alumni.oswego.edu/survey

lished by alumnus Robert Feinberg ’78 and his wife, Robbi, to create a lecture series on gender equity in the workplace. Additional support was provided by several other campus departments and organizations.

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A paper copy of the survey can be requested by calling 315-312-2258 or emailing alumni@oswego.edu.

Your input is highly valued and appreciated.

Thank you!

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ATHLETICS Oswego Declared SUNYAC Baseball Champion, Earned Automatic Berth to NCAAs Oswego Baseball Earns Recognition From Two Entities

DORI GRONICH ’17

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s the top seed in the SUNYAC Tournament and by conference operating code, No. 9/9 Oswego was declared the 2017 SUNYAC Champion, although the conference cancelled its 2017 Baseball Championship originally scheduled May 5-7 at SUNY Oswego due to weather. As the conference champion, the team received an automatic berth in the NCAA Division III Championship. The team bowed out of its first-ever appearance in the College World Series with a 9-4 loss to Concordia University Chicago (34-12) in an elimination game on May 27 at Fox Cities Stadium in Appleton, Wisc. l

ive members of the 2017 SUNYAC Championship Oswego State baseball team have been named to the 2017 D3Baseball.com All-New York Region team.

Eric Hamilton ’17 of Liverpool, N.Y., garnered Player of the Year honors, while he also earned a spot on the First Team.

Joining Hamilton in the major awards category is head coach Scott Landers, who was named Coach of the Year.

Tim Cronin ’17 of Walden, N.Y., and Mike Dellicarri ’19 of Congers, N.Y., (First Team) as well as Mitchell Cavanagh ’18 of Oneida, N.Y., (Second Team) were also named to an All-New York team. All four of the players were also named to the ABCA/Rawlings All-New York teams. l

Lakers Earn All-American Honors in Three Sports Defenseman Johnson earned first-team All-American recognition from the American Hockey Coaches Association and second-team placement from USCHO.com.

Four Oswego State athletes earned AllAmerican honors across three sports: Jordan Bushey ’20 of Plattsburgh, N.Y., in wrestling; Stephen Johnson ’17 of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, and Kenny Neil ’17 of Clarenville, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, in men’s hockey; and Brian Sortino ’17 of Fairport, N.Y., in men’s basketball.

Bushey placed fourth in the 184pound weight class at the NCAA Championships in Wisconsin. The freshman’s fantastic season included a 39-2 record, and he was undefeated heading into the national tournament.

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Forward Neil, now playing with the Southern Professional Hockey League’s Pensacola Ice Flyers, earned AHCA thirdteam honors.

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Guard Sortino, a key contributor to the Laker men’s basketball team’s multiple runs into the NCAA tournament during his career, racked up All-American recognition from three different organizations. He was named a first-team All-American by the National Association of Basketball Coaches as well as that organization’s East Region Player of the Year. Sortino also netted a secondteam All-American honor from DIII News and third-team All-American from D3hoops. com. l

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Cronin ’17 Honored With 2017 SUNY Chancellor’s Scholar-Athlete Award Tim Cronin ’17 of Walden, N.Y., earned the SUNY Chancellor’s Scholar-Athlete Award as selected by the State University of New York. The award recognizes students who have combined academic excellence and outstanding athletic achievement, and are members of an All-Conference or All-Tournament team.

C. PERKINS PHOTOGRAPHY

Cronin, who was the SUNYAC copitcher of the year, has many accolades, including Academic Award of Excellence, SUNYAC All-Tournament Team, D3baseball.com Pitcher of the Week, SUNYAC All-Academic Team, SUNYAC Commissioner’s List and SUNYAC Rookie of the Year (2014). He was one of only 77 recipients selected from all 64 SUNY campuses. l

Women’s Swimming and Diving Earns National Scholar Recognition For the first time in the 95-year history of the College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA), more than 700 teams have received Scholar All-America recognition. Included among the teams was Oswego State women’s swimming and diving.

This marks the 14th time in the last 17 semesters that the women’s swimming and diving team has been named a Scholar All-America team, as the CSCAA produces the list for both semesters each academic year. Oswego carried a 3.17 GPA and joined fellow-SUNYAC teams Cortland (3.05), Fredonia (3.31), Geneseo (3.32) and Oneonta (3.32) on the list.

In total, 720 teams, representing 443 institutions achieved a grade point average of 3.0 or higher during the spring 2017 semester. Part of the reason for the increase in award-winning teams is the overall growth of the sport. The number of men’s and women’s institutions sponsoring swimming and diving is at a 10-year high. l

Congratulations to the Class of 2017 Inductees:

Track and Field Team Members Break School Records at Cortland Classic Two members of the Oswego State men’s track and field team set personal and school records at the April 22 Cortland Classic Invitational.

Ben Griffin ’17 led the way with a new school and personal record for a first-place finish in the 1,500 with a time of 3:55.58.

Adam Crumb ’17 had an exceptional day as well, scoring a monumental 7.07 in the long jump for third place and setting a new school and personal record. l

Ed Nicholson ’59, wrestling Ron Benwell ’60, men’s soccer and baseball (posthumously) Tom Lynch ’73, men’s golf Dennis Luzon ’74, wrestling

Oswego State Athletic Hall of Fame Dinner Saturday, Oct. 14, 2017 Register today!

For more information and to register, visit alumni.oswego.edu/halloffame or call 315-312-2258.

Advance registration is required.

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Steve Serling ’77, men’s golf Tracey Donovan Fanning ’92, women’s cross country Brian DeFeo ’98, men’s ice hockey Join us during Homecoming 2017 as we recognize the contributions of these former student-athletes who have excelled in athletics as well as in their service to their profession and community during an induction ceremony and dinner.

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Lakers Earn All-SUNYAC Recognitions

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he following Oswego Lakers earned SUNYAC All-Conference recognitions:

Wilson Inducted to Upstate NY Basketball Hall of Fame

COACH OF THE YEAR Scott Landers, Walter Nitardy Coach of the Year, men’s baseball

The Upstate New York Basketball Hall of Fame inducted former Oswego State great Greg Wilson ’68 into its Class of 2017 on May 21 during a reception in Troy, N.Y. Wilson still holds a prominent place in the Laker record books, including highest scoring average in a single season (28.0) and rebounds in a game (31 at Utica on Jan. 30, 1968). The two-year member of the Oswego varsity team concluded his career easily averaging a double-double by scoring 24.2 points per game to go along with 16.5 rebounds per contest. He appears in several other top 10 program career, season and game lists for the Lakers.

Abby Martin, women’s softball PLAYER OF THE YEAR Eric Hamilton ’17 of Liverpool, N.Y., Bob Wallace Player of the Year, men’s baseball

PITCHER OF THE YEAR Tim Cronin ’17 of Walden, N.Y., Don Axtell Co-Pitcher of the Year, men’s baseball FIRST TEAM Mitchell Cavanagh ’18 of Oneida, N.Y., men’s baseball Mike Dellicarri ’19 of Congers, N.Y., men’s baseball Ben Griffin ’17 of Sterling, N.Y., men’s track and field SECOND TEAM John Barnes ’18 of Greenwich, N.Y., men’s baseball Colin Greenseich ’17 of Cicero, N.Y., men’s track and field Shaniece Gregory ’19 of Laurelton, N.Y., women’s track and field Ashley Lyman ’17 of Lockport, N.Y., women’s softball Rebecca Vilchez ’20 of Franklin Square, N.Y., women’s softball

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C. PERKINS PHOTOGRAPHY

Standing O

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Hebert and Sortino Named Outstanding Senior Athletes Sue Viscomi (center), Oswego State’s director of athletics, recognized Outstanding Senior Athletes Brian Sortino ’17 (left) of men’s basketball and Heather Hebert ’17 (right) of women’s basketball following the conclusion of the All-Athlete Banquet May 3 at the Marano Campus Center arena. The Outstanding Senior Athlete awards take into account the seniors’ entire career at Oswego and is based solely on their individual athletic achievements while wearing a Laker uniform. l

Men’s Golf Accepted as E8 Affiliate

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he Empire 8 Athletic Conference has accepted three new teams— including Oswego State—as men’s golf affiliates for fall 2017. Joining the Lakers in the Empire 8 are fellow SUNY institutions Potsdam and Canton.

“Oswego, Canton and Potsdam are terrific additions to our conference, and we look forward to a long-standing partnership,” said Empire 8 and Hartwick College President Margaret Drugovich.

With the addition of Canton, Oswego and Potsdam, there will be eight men’s golf teams in the E8, which will maintain the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA III Men’s Golf Championship. The Empire 8 received its first automatic qualifier to the NCAA Championship in the 2011-12 season.

“It is a great announcement and partnership for our program,” said Oswego Head Coach Mike Howard ’90. “Now our golfers will have an opportunity to compete for a bid to the national tournament annually.”

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A member conference of the NCAA’s Division III, the Empire 8 has nine full members and sponsors championships in 23 sports. The member institutions of the league place the highest priority on the overall quality of the educational experience and on the successful completion of its student-athletes’ academic programs. The membership seeks to distinguish itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the Empire 8.

The Empire 8 can trace its beginnings back to 1964 with the founding of the Independent College Athletic Conference (ICAC). In 1991, the ICAC regrouped to become the Empire Athletic Association (EAA) and in 1999 the EAA became the Empire 8 Athletic Conference. l

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he five remaining NCAA Division III institutions with women’s ice hockey programs that operated under the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) West banner—which include Oswego State, Buffalo State, Cortland, Plattsburgh and Potsdam—will wave a new flag beginning in 2017-18 as the Northeast Women’s Hockey League (NEWHL).

Tom Cranfield, the senior associate athletic director at Cortland and the president of the NEWHL, made the announcement on June 15, and the league began its official operations on July 1.

Tom Di Camillo, the commissioner of the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) and member of the NCAA Division III Men’s Ice Hockey Championship Committee, assumed the commissioner duties of the five-team, single-sport conference.

Although Di Camillo serves as the SUNYAC commissioner, and the five SUNY institutions are full members of

the SUNYAC, the NEWHL is a separate entity not affiliated with the conference.

The conference will maintain the NCAA automatic qualifier for at least the next two years. The NEWHL will need to add at least two more schools to keep its automatic qualifier status after the 2018-19 campaign. The league’s five institutions include some of the strongest Division III women’s ice hockey programs in the nation.

The NEWHL schedule will consist of 16 games with each team playing the other teams four times—two times at home and two times away. All games are scheduled for Friday and Saturdays.

The season will culminate in a four-team tournament with the top four teams making the league playoffs in a semifinal and championship format set a week apart. The tournament champion will receive the automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Women’s Ice Hockey Championship tournament. l

Women’s Ice Hockey Player Named ECAC Rookie of the Year

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acquelin White ’20 of the Oswego State women’s ice hockey team has been named Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) West Rookie of Year for the 2016-17 season. White is the first player in program history to be named Rookie of the Year.

She joins teammates Olivia Ellis ’18 (2014-15) and Alli Ullrich ’17 (2013-14) as well as Hilary Hitchman (2006-07) as the only players to be named to the All-Rookie Team.

White, a Royal Oak, Mich., native, scored 28 points in her first year, which is a freshman program record as she topped Ellis’ 27 in 2014-15. She also has the third most single-season points in program history, behind Alexa Aramburu ’17 and Ellis’ 2016-17 totals of 31 and 36, respectively. White’s 15 goals scored are tied for the most in program history with Jessica Lister ’09 (2006-07) and Mackenzie Lee ’12 (2010-11). l C. PERKINS PHOTOGRAPHY

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Women’s Ice Hockey Joins Newly Founded League

Two New Laker Head Coaches Men’s Soccer Welcomes New Head Coach

Magnussen Hired to Guide Cross Country Programs

New Head Coach Dan Kane took the helm of the men’s soccer program on April 3.

Kane comes to Oswego after pioneering the men’s soccer program at Wells College over the past eight seasons. During that time he steadily increased the program’s success, including a second-place finish in the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) Championship in 2015.

The Skaneateles, N.Y., resident was named NEAC Coach of the Year during that season on the heels of the Express posting a 13-win season, including nine wins in the conference, both of which set school records. His teams were a two-time NSCAA Team Ethics and Sportsmanship Silver Award recipient, bestowed upon squads that complete a season with less than five yellow cards and no red card infractions.

Evan Magnussen was hired as new head cross country coach for the Lakers. Magnussen is also the assistant coach for the track and field programs.

A four-year cross country and track and field student-athlete at St. John Fisher College, Magnussen spent the past year as a staff assistant with the Cortland track and cross country programs. For the past two years, the Geneseo, N.Y., native also was a running instructor and coach for Finger Lakers Running Co. In his time with the Red Dragons, he helped seven studentathletes qualify for NCAA Championships, four reaching All-America status and one a national title in the heptathlon.

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MATT CUMMINS

Students Shatter the Longest Conga Line on Ice Record LIVE on the ‘Today’ Show More than 600 student skaters joined Al Roker ’76 on the ice in the Marano Campus Center March 31 to help break a world record live on NBC’s Today show as part of Rokerthon 3

By Margaret Spillett

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TOP General Manager Justin Dobrow ’17 was in the midst of planning for the biggest, most anticipated broadcast of the year—Whiteout Weekend—when he learned about a contest for college campuses to submit a one-minute video to host Rokerthon 3.

In the first Rokerthon in 2014, TV icon and Today show co-host Al Roker ’76 broke a world record by doing a non-stop, 34-hour weather forecast on NBC, and in the second Rokerthon, he set another world record by broadcasting a live weather forecast from all 50 states in seven days. Rokerthon 3 asked college campuses to make a video that showed off their “epic” school spirit, invited Roker to do a live weather forecast from their campus and described the world record the school would like to break during his visit.

“We spend weeks on Whiteout Weekend pre-production work, creating fun, dynamic videos with coaches and players to really

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entertain the viewers and put on a good broadcast,” Dobrow said. “The week of Whiteout I stay away from any other responsibilities, but now I had this Rokerthon video brewing in my head. We are Al Roker’s alma mater—I mean WTOP studios are named for him. This is a no-brainer. We have to submit a video.”

A team of staff and students brainstormed a variety of possible ideas and eventually landed on one that would showcase some of SUNY Oswego’s signature traits and strengths—cold weather, ice sports, a beautiful arena and a close-knit, fun-loving community. It was decided: SUNY Oswego would propose breaking the longest conga line on ice world record!

Initially, the team focused on creating a compelling one-minute video that would grab the attention of the NBC Today show producers who were selecting the winning campuses.

They pulled together a group of students to

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demonstrate, on ice, how they would break the record. A cardboard cut-out of Roker even led the line.

“Will it be cold enough for us to conga on a frozen Lake Ontario or should we keep it indoors in our beautiful arena in the Marano Campus Center?” Dobrow asked in the video voice-over. “Come home to Oswego and give the weather forecast to let us know!”

Dobrow said he was very happy with the production quality of the submission, which included photos and footage from a variety of sources, including aerial footage shot by a drone with the assistance of campus videographer and Dobrow’s campus internship supervisor Jim Kearns.

Roker wasn’t involved in viewing the submissions or in choosing what campuses got selected, but he was happy to know that SUNY Oswego was well-represented.

“It was up to the producers and submissions that came in,” he said. “Oswego had one

JIM RUSSELL ’83

of the better submissions, and it just worked out. It was nice to see my alma mater represent itself so well. I don’t think I could be any prouder of the school than I already am.”

SUNY Oswego was the last stop—the grand finale—of a five-day trip to five colleges; the universities of Tennessee, Oklahoma, Loyola (Maryland) and Northern Michigan were the others selected to participate in Rokerthon 3.

When a Today show producer called Dobrow to let him know Oswego was a finalist, he wasted no time in dashing up to the seventh floor of Culkin Hall to inform President Deborah F. Stanley, who was featured in the submission video.

President Stanley mobilized the campus to ensure that the project received the support it needed to be successful. Now, the challenges of the record attempt became a reality.

Where would the campus find enough ice skates to equip the participants? How would the college recruit the 400 students needed to break the previous record of 353 set on Nov. 12, 2013, at the Ice Rink Canary Wharf in the United Kingdom? Would the college students who signed up actually wake up at 4 a.m. to participate in this oncein-a-lifetime event?

Members of the men’s and women’s ice hockey teams, wearing their hockey jerseys and carrying large green and gold flags, and the Ice Effects synchronized figure skating team opened the Marano Campus Center rink for the record attempt as Roker came riding in on the Zamboni through a flurry of snowfall at center ice.

The conga line participants waited for their big moment, which came shortly after 8 a.m. They formed a serpentine line that wrapped around the edge of the ice and into the center. They skated in formation for five minutes before a crowd of hundreds of campus and community members to Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine’s “Conga.”

Seventeen volunteer referees, stationed throughout the arena, monitored skaters to ensure each one accurately performed the familiar conga step while their hands were connected to the waist of the skater in front.

After a few deductions for line breaks, Guinness adjudicator Michael Empric announced that SUNY Oswego had shattered the previous record with a new longest ice conga line total of 593 people.

“We are truly thankful and proud of the participation of so many from our campus community,” President Deborah F. Stanley said. “Our students seized the opportunity because they had pride we could do it, and a fantastic team contributed intensive planning, collaboration and coordination. We showed the nation that when SUNY Oswego sets out to accomplish something, we come together to get the job done!”

Indeed, they did!

JIM RUSSELL ’83 JIM RUSSELL ’83

ROBERT CLARK ’78

On Friday morning, March 31, a total of 617 participants—nearly all students with a few faculty and staff members serving as team captains—passed through the turnstiles and swiped college IDs as adjudicators from Guinness counted each skater as he or she entered the ice.

Student choreographer and president of Del Sarte dance club Allison Anthony ’17 (left) raced around the ice to help the skaters with spacing and to get all the participants in sync with each other.

“I was really just trying to get everyone pumped up, helping them with the steps and reminding them not to let go of the person in front of them,” she said. “All week I had been dreaming of the conga and kept having a nightmare that the producers were going to make us do the steps in double time. But luckily they didn’t!”

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JIM RUSSELL ’83

“Although it was not a horribly serious goal, it was fun, and it really showed the esprit de corps of the campus,” he said. “Everything really moved as smoothly as it possibly could have. It was very joyful for me—from start to finish.”

As much as Roker said he enjoyed riding the Zamboni and helping the mini-Zamboni “Tiny Tim” throw T-shirts into the crowd, he said the highlight for him was seeing the campus come together to achieve a common goal.

For many of the seniors involved, they said it capped off an incredible four years at Oswego.

JENNIFER BRODERICK

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operations coordinator at NBC Universal in July. “Rokerthon—the whole thing—is really project management—looking at facility needs, technical aspects, coordinating that many people on the ice for live TV and thinking of everything from the little gifts the people in the audience will receive to ensuring the Guinness rules are followed. Rokerthon gave me incredible experience doing that.

“I’d wake up and think, ‘Is this really happening?’” he said. “A student submitted a video and it was accepted and the Today show came here and gave us over 17 minutes of national air time. Are you kidding me? Now, the nation knows that SUNY Oswego has a great community; great alumni like Al Roker; great faculty, staff and students who come together to support each other and to do this.

This was definitely the best way I could have ended my senior year at Oswego. Just thinking about it gets me all fired up! I love this place!” l MARGARET SPILLETT

Rane Prieto ’17 (above left), a public relations major who interned in the Office of Alumni Relations during the spring, said she was grateful to get an insider’s view into the planning and implementation of such a major event. She was part of the team of students who helped with the submission video and was part of the student crew who welcomed Roker at the Oswego County Airport on Thursday, March 30 (see related story on page 23).

“I have this calling to be an event planner, which my major public relations, has prepped me for,” said Prieto, who was enrolled in six classes and two internships during the spring semester. “Doing this event meant so much to me, and I learned a lot about crowd control, time management, how the timing of things doesn’t always go as planned and how unforeseen things sometimes happen. This was literally a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

Despite being sleep-deprived and stressed

from prepping for Del Sarte’s dance recital happening later in the day and being concerned that she might be late for her Quest presentation run-through with her professor at Rice Creek later that morning, Anthony said that nothing will compare to the feeling she had when the NBC producers handed her the framed Guinness record and invited her to do a victory lap around the 600 skaters who made it happen.

“Although I am not going into dancing or choreography, it is a passion of mine,” said Anthony, a zoology major who conducted field research this summer at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse, N.Y. “It means so much to me that I was able to incorporate that passion into such a large-scale event and develop my leadership skills to help break a world record on national television. I can’t imagine a better way to end my four years at Oswego!”

And for Dobrow (below right), who represented the student body as part of the Rokerthon steering committee, the experience gave him a taste of what he hopes to do professionally someday. In the course of a few weeks, he attended more than 20 committee meetings—often serving as the college liaison with NBC—and he dedicated more than 100 hours to planning Rokerthon, while maintaining his full course load and leading WTOP. “I love project management and hope to be a production coordinator someday,” said Dobrow, who accepted a position as lead

See more about Rokerthon online oswego.edu/magazine.

Fringe Benefits of Rokerthon Although the highlight of Rokerthon 3 was the on-air breaking of a world record, the arrival of Al Roker ’76 and the NBC crew on Thursday, March 30, created waves of excitement across campus.

JENNIFER BRODERICK

Student interns were even assigned to the NBC production team to assist with all kinds of tasks while the crew was on campus. They were leaders of student media organizations: Ian Dwyer ’17, Matthew Raynor ’17, Nick Costanzo ’18, JoAnn DeLauter ’17, Justin Penman ’18 and Melissa Wilson ’17.

MATT CUMMINS

A team of students, equipped with a wooden yellow brick road, signs and banners, musical instruments and pom-poms, headed to the Oswego County Airport to give Roker and his team a proper welcome home. Music students played “Follow the Yellow Brick Road” as Roker in his favorite Oswego gear emerged from the Rokerthon jet repeating, “There’s No Place Like Home!”

MARGARET SPILLETT

After the record was broken Friday, President Deborah F. Stanley and Roker presented two lucky student skaters with a $5,000 check: PurePoint Financial provided the scholarship to Emily Notaro ’17 and the Oswego College Foundation funded the scholarship for Jasmine Gomez ’19.

Once back on campus, he surprised a few prospective students and their families by leading their Admissions Tour around campus (above). (Both students decided to attend Oswego after their star-studded tour.) Then Roker dropped into a meteorology class in the Shineman Center for Science, Engineering and Innovation, but he was happy to learn that among the students in class was his former professor and the founding dean of the School of Communication, Media and the Arts Fritz Messere ’71 M’76.

Roker chatted on-air at the WNYO radio station, popped into WTOP-10 and the Al Roker ’76 Television Studio, visited Littlepage Dining Hall where he worked as a student, swung by his old residence hall room in Onondaga Hall and stopped by the open skate rehearsal to give a pep talk to the students practicing the conga on ice. Roker’s presence on campus created a wave of excitement that built toward the setting of a world record the next day.

Longest Conga Line on Ice Previous Record: 353 When: Nov. 12, 2013 Where: Ice Rink Canary Wharf in the United Kingdom New Record: 593 When: March 31, 2017 Where: M arano Campus Center ice arena, SUNY Oswego, N.Y.

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Wild SUNY Oswego’s zoology program is thrust into the spotlight when alumna Allysa Swilley ’15 attains internet fame as April the giraffe’s zookeeper; program leads to careers from caregiver to researcher to conservationist to animal rescuer—and much more.

By Eileen Crandall MATT CUMMINS

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MATT CUMMINS

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Attraction I

MATT CUMMINS

t’s just days after the season’s grand opening of Animal Adventure Park in Harpursville, N.Y., and Allysa Swilley ’15 is hard at work, both as its head zookeeper and its internet superstar.

Swilley has taken an unexpected encounter with international fame in stride, despite being watched for months by millions of fans via live webcam as she cared for the world’s most famous giraffe. April the giraffe captivated viewers around the world—1.25 million people were watching at the moment she gave birth to baby Tajiri on April 15 and a total of 232 million tuned in at some point during the live webcast.

Now it’s a month later among the rolling hills and spring-green fields of the rural southern tier of New York, and Swilley, who grew up working on her grandfather’s dairy farm in Mehoopany, Pa., has just spent the previous week helping to prepare the small animal park for an onslaught of giraffe fans: On day three of the 2017 season, they’ve already come from as far as California.

“I’ve always known I wanted to work with animals,” Swilley said, as the day’s guests to the park greet her by name. While visitors are in a hurry to see the giraffes—including Oliver, Taj’s father—there’s no shortage of requests for photos of the giraffe’s caregiver, capturing her broad smile, signature blonde french braid, animal tattoos, rhinoceros necklace and Timberland work boots.

While the world watched, Swilley was often seen in the giraffe enclosures, providing care. What the world didn’t see: The long nights she spent alone in the giraffe barn sleeping on an army cot next to her giraffes (not very comfortable, she jokes), or how she watched the birth from just a few feet away, gripping the steel enclosure bars with both hands and “screaming internally because I was so excited … but I had to keep quiet so she wouldn’t get stressed.”

Swilley took a zoology class in high school that shaped her future.

“I knew that was it, for me,” she said. “I visited schools that offered zoology, and Oswego just felt like home.”

Allysa Swilley ’15 and April the giraffe.

All Eyes on April April the giraffe’s pregnancy garnered global internet attention: • Over 232 million live views • 7.6 billion minutes of live watch time • Second most live-viewed channel in YouTube history in just 66 days • 1.25 million watched the birth live • 14 million tuned in on the day of the birth

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like west African frogs, can change gender when there is a lack of males or females in the population.”

REED HUTCHINSON

ANIMAL FACTS THAT AMAZE THE ZOOLOGISTS: Janet Charray Buckner ’11—“Some animal species,

Research opportunities for zoologists aren’t limited to just studying the living; just ask Dr. Frank Varriale ’97.

Dr. Varriale, a vertebrate paleontologist, earned a master’s in paleontology from South Dakota School of Mines and Technology and a doctorate at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in the university’s Center for Functional Anatomy and Evolution. He was awarded the Alfred Sherwood Romer Prize from the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology for his research that resulted in a key discovery about the evolution of chewing in horned dinosaurs (ceratopsians).

His research was the first to identify the unique chewing style of the plant-eating dinosaur Leptoceratops.

“Much of our understanding of behavior, biology and function of dinosaurs comes from comparison of extinct animals with living close relatives, making zoology an excellent place to start when trying to build a foundation of knowledge on which to study extinct animals,” said Dr. Varriale, who selected SUNY Oswego in no small part because it was the only SUNY offering a bachelor’s degree in zoology.

Dr. Varriale’s discovery of jaw mechanics, published in 2016, was the result of extensive travel (including to such places as Mongolia) and culminated in a “eureka moment” using scanning electron microscopy. The finding sent the scientist dashing up from the basement through the halls of Hopkins Medical School to share with a colleague. Dr. Varriale attributes his success to research strategies first practiced at SUNY Oswego, including a specific zoology course for which students sampled largemouth bass in a pond, standing in the mucky, murky water as they used nets to gather fish.

“I remember coming out of it covered from head to toe in pond weeds and mud, but thinking the battle cry ‘For Science!’” Dr. Varriale said. “It was the first time in my career that I felt like I was doing science, and felt the joy of collecting data for the purpose of revealing new insights.” continued on page 28

Not Your Typical Desk Job

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While some zoologists go to work in direct daily care of animals, others opt for research, including Janet Charray Buckner ’11, a doctoral candidate in the University of California—Los Angeles (UCLA) Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. But as Buckner can attest, zoological research is far from “hands off.”

Buckner was awarded a prestigious Fulbright fellowship, which took her to the Brazilian Amazon. There, she was stung by a bullet ant (one of the animal kingdom’s most painful stings), nearly stepped on a pit viper resting on a forest trail and “the best thing that happened on that trip—coming face to face with a mountain lion,” the primate phylogenetics researcher said.

Animal encounters that might cause the faint of heart to be overcome with fear are those that shape a zoologist’s career. And for Buckner, whose research interests include comparative genetics, trait evolution and biogeography of mammals and birds, it’s a bonus that you get to hang out with monkeys, peccaries, guans, frogs, snakes and coatis, not a deterrent.

“I chose zoology because I have been obsessed with nature and science since I was a little kid,” Buckner said. “I could not imagine doing anything else for a career.”

SUNY Oswego’s zoology program provides research opportunities for undergraduates—something often saved for graduate-level students at other institutions, she said.

“That experience was invaluable in my pursuit of a graduate degree, and I give much credit to my undergraduate education and mentors for my current success,” said Buckner, who studied population genetics and reproductive ecology of the endangered Bog Buckmoth with Dr. Karen Sime, Dr. Eric Hellquist and Dr. Amy Welsh during her time at SUNY Oswego.

“Learning how to walk in the bogs and fens without falling waist deep in water was a fun process,” Buckner said. “It is one of my most vivid memories from undergrad.”

ANIMAL FACTS THAT AMAZE THE ZOOLOGISTS: Dr. Frank Varriale ’97—“The recurrent laryngeal nerve in humans descends into the chest and loops around the heart back up the neck to innervate the voice box. The indirect route stems from our evolutionary ancestory when the heart of our fishy relatives was in the neck near the gills.”

Read about Dr. Frank Varriale’s discovery, oswego.edu/magazine.

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Zoology:

A Rare Species of College Program Not only is SUNY Oswego’s zoology program a program unlike its peers, it has very few peers to begin with.

Fewer still are programs that offer undergraduate courses in specialized areas of zoological study.

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there are four areas of specialization: amphibians/reptiles, ichthyology (study of fish), mammals and birds. And at SUNY Oswego, the number of students who are majoring in the field has grown, from 169 in fall 2011 to 233 in fall 2016.

Dr. James MacKenzie, professor and chair of Biological Sciences, said the program attracts students from not only New York state and the northeast, but also from across the country.

“As the only zoology program in the SUNY system, we attract spectacular students,” he said.

SUNY Oswego maintains an extensive research and teaching collection— taxidermied fish from 1960 and a frog from 1910, anyone? Dr. Diann Jackson M’88 at Rice Creek, has been updating the collection, checking its health and cataloging the content. The vertebrate and invertebrate teaching collections not only provide a method for students to take a course in invertebrates or even entomology—unheard of except at major universities—but a method to leave a legacy, as the collection is constantly being updated by today’s students and faculty. See related story on page 7.

JENNIFER OLORI

Jamal Lavine ’16 and Anthony Macchiano ’17 measure an amphibian found on the Rice Creek Field Station grounds.

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JENNIFER OLORI

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hile many colleges have opted to place zoology under a collective umbrella of biological science, SUNY Oswego has kept it as a separate field of study. Although it maintains an interdisciplinary relationship with biology, having its own identity has its perks, said Dr. Jennifer Olori, a graduate of Cornell University who teaches a variety of SUNY Oswego’s zoology courses, as well as serving as a zoology faculty adviser.

“It provides us with recognition as a unique program.”

Dr. Olori said of the major that was first introduced at the college in 1975.

And with recognition comes not only the students who seek the niche, but the faculty who Dr. Jennifer Olori offer extremely specialized classes such as medical entomology, aquatic entomology, comparative anatomy, animal physiology, animal development, parasitology, mycology and wildlife techniques. Zoology students rub elbows in many courses with biology majors; faculty is shared.

“We really offer the full set of courses that have disappeared at other institutions,” she said.

Zoology includes a variety of career options that range from caregivers to conducting lab-based disease studies— and many, many offshoots. A zoologist may work in labs or outdoors; generally,

Zoology 387 classmates in the spring of 2017; Corrine Monaco ’18, Alyssa Lopez ’18 and Joel Barnett ’18 swab a frog found on the Rice Creek Field Station grounds.

But while the collections are … well, dead, Rice Creek itself is a 400-acre laboratory of living animals for research.

And according to Dr. Olori, research appeals to many students—even those who may have initially been drawn to zoology because they wanted to cuddle a cute mammal.

Like the other STEM majors, zoology majors are using the state-of-theart facilities at the Shineman Center.

“They are using the molecular labs, DNA extraction equipment and the confocal microscope,” she said. “They are also going outside with waders and a net, because sometimes that’s the equipment you need.”

Because of the niche nature of the major, alumni play a vital role in helping students get their feet in the door for careers. That’s because while jobs in zoology may seem hard to get, those who are landing them are those with the kind of research and training provided at SUNY Oswego, Olori said.

Read about Dr. Jennifer Olori’s research program with SUNY Oswego undergraduates and view photos, oswego.edu/magazine.

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McCormack is an animal curator and internship director at Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge in Eureka Springs, Ark., where she cares for exotic animals, including more than 100 big cats and bears. The organization rescues animals in dire straits—often at the hands of human incompetence.

“Participating in exotic animal rescue is very emotionally challenging,” McCormack said. “When we arrive at a rescue situation, you see a tiger or a bear for instance, in fear. These animals are amazing predators that have been put into horrible, abusive situations.

My favorite part of my job is saving them and changing their fear into trust. We give them as much freedom as possible in a captive environment.”

McCormack was part of the team that completed the largest exotic animal rescue ever in U.S. history, through collaboration with 14 facilities to save and place 115 animals.

“We rescued three white tiger cubs who could not walk due to severe metabolic bone disease,” McCormack said. “This was caused from the lack of proper diet. They can now run and play. So, another favorite part of my job is healing the animals from their abuse.”

McCormack, who grew up in Oswego, had no idea of the insurmountable problems that big cats faced in the United States when she was a child dreaming of lions and tigers and bears.

“I have now been working rescuing exotic cats for 18 years,” she said. “I wouldn’t be where I am today without receiving my zoology degree at Oswego.”

ANIMAL FACTS THAT AMAZE THE ZOOLOGISTS: Sabrina Squillari ’01—

JULIE LARSEN MAHER

“Primates communicate verbally, visually and olfactorily. I love the sound of gorillas grumbling. That is a sign that they are happy and it is music to my ears.”

Voice of Preservation Insights aligned with a zoology frame of mind also can lead into careers dedicated to conservation.

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Sabrina Squillari ’01 has worked for the Wildlife Conservation Society for 16 years and now is senior wild animal keeper in the Bronx Zoo’s Mammal Department, where she manages the Congo Gorilla Forest.

“I am proud to be part of an organization that has such a profound commitment to protecting the world’s wildlife and wild places,” Squillari said. “As special as the animals are to us, they also serve as ambassadors for their wild counterparts by inspiring zoo visitors to take an interest in conservation.”

Squillari provides specialized daily care for a visually impaired silverback gorilla.

“It has provided me with a sense of great purpose,” she said, of working to maintain quality of life and independence for not just him, but a troop of four, 11-year-old bachelor gorillas.

“We work weekends, holidays, sleep over in extreme weather and go to any length to make sure they are safe and secure at all times,” said Squillari, who grew up in New York City and was a frequent visitor to the Bronx Zoo as a child.

She has continued her education at Columbia University and Hunter College, but credits SUNY Oswego with providing her with the ANIMAL FACTS THAT AMAZE THE ZOOLOGISTS: academic and hands-on internships to allow her Emily McCormack ’99—“There is still not a fedto quickly excel in the field. eral law against private ownership of exotic animals Going to any length to secure safety and in the U.S. A tiger, lion or a bear are wild animals that quality of life for animals is something Emily cannot be domesticated.”

McCormack ’99 knows well.

MATT CUMMINS

ANIMAL FACTS THAT AMAZE THE ZOOLOGISTS: Allysa Swilley ’15— “We’ve lost 40 percent of the world’s giraffes in the last 30 years.”

It’s a Wild Life

April the giraffe, Alison Bickert ’15 , Allysa Swilley ’15 and Olivia Wilmot ’18

And while Swilley enthusiastically welcomes her human fans to Back at the animal park in Harpursville, giraffes Taj and April greet the animal park—she’s using the chance to launch educational efforts human guests, who stand on a deck alongside the giraffe enclosure: on endangered species and to encourage young people, especially April is gently taking carrots from outstretched palms, her purplish girls, to enter STEM fields—her favorite time of day at the park is tongue brushing against delighted children. Taj dozes in the safety of closing time. his mother’s shadow. The zoology program’s Alison Bickert ’15— “It’s the time of day that I can touch base with the animals on a who also works at the park, although for only a few weeks, and intern very personal level,” she said. l Olivia Wilmot ’18 are helping out, too.

“Oswego is practically running the place,” Swilley joked.

See more photos online And to Swilley and her team, the park is home to much more oswego.edu/magazine. than an internet sensation. Swilley strides through the park greeting the animals. There’s Gracie the monkey and Zuri the spotted hyena (bottlefed by Swilley, now full grown), kangaroos and macaws and wolves—some that she calls “sweetie” and “baby” as their ears perk in recognition of her voice.

But among the largest is the famous April, who closely follows Swilley’s movements through a crowd of visitors.

“It’s because we are family,” Swilley said of the giraffe’s attentiveness. Swilley, like many zoology majors at SUNY Oswego, interned abroad at animal preservation and conservation sanctuaries. She spent months at Transfrontier Africa in Balule Nature Reserve, South —Allysa Swilley ’15 Africa, working with white rhinos and promoting conservation of African wildlife.

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MATT CUMMINS

“I visited schools that offered zoology, and Oswego just felt like home.”

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Reunion 2017

Some folks like to get away, Take a holiday from the neighborhood.

Hop a flight to Port City along Lake Ontario Or take a Greyhound on the Oswego River line I’m in an Oswego State of mind…

More than 1,200 alumni and friends headed for the shores of Lake Ontario and their beloved lakeside campus to celebrate Reunion 2017, June 8-11. Graced by beautiful weather all weekend, the near record-level attendees participated in more than 60 events on and off campus throughout the four-day festivities, ranging from a golf tournament and a 5K fun run to an estate planning seminar and a Greek life presentation.

MATT CUMMINS

TE A T S D N I M F O

President Deborah F. Stanley welcomed the alumni, provided an update on the latest happenings and developments on campus and helped Oswego Alumni Association President Lisa Marceau Schnorr ’87 present the Alumni Service Award to two exceptional alumni: Louis A. Borrelli Jr. ’77 and Jennifer Shropshire ’86.

Of course, a highlight for many were the social gatherings, including Friday night’s “Come As You Were BBQ” at Fallbrook that brought together more than 700 attendees and Saturday afternoon’s “Picnic on the Lake” that attracted nearly 400 people. As a nod to this year’s theme, Rick Zuccaro and his All-Star Billy Joel Tribute Band headlined the “Oswego State of Mind” concert Saturday night in Hewitt Union Ballroom and had people singing along to the familiar tunes.

Alumni traveled from 27 states and as far away as Binfield Berks, United Kingdom, and Cali, Columbia. The participants represented 64 different class years, ranging from 1947 through 2020. The celebration included 18 minireunion groups—including more than 150 Sigma Gamma brothers—and 11 milestone anniversary classes, including the Class of 1977, which brought back the largest number of attendees ever for a 40th reunion. Sam Lupo ’77, owner of Sam A. Lupo & Sons Inc. in Endicott, N.Y., gave each classmate a customized Class of 1977 bottle of his famous spiedie marinade.

Check out our complete coverage of Reunion 2017, including our photo gallery, online at oswego.edu/magazine.

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MATT CUMMINS JIM RUSSELL ’83

ROBERT CLARK ’78

ROBERT CLARK ’78

Delta Kappa Kappa became the first active Greek organization to establish an endowed scholarship at the college. Also, during Reunion 2017, Beta Tau Epsilon, a fraternity no longer active on campus, reached its goal of raising $100,000 for its scholarship.

A total of $400,123 was raised from all reunion classes this year, including $230,514 raised by the 30th Reunion Cluster (1986-1988). This year’s Reunion Giving Participation Cup was presented to the Class of 1967 with a total class participation of 24 percent.

“Reunion is such a successful event for the college community, and it is largely thanks to the engaged and enthusiastic volunteers who help to make it the celebration of the year,” said Director of Alumni and Parent Relations Laura Pavlus Kelly ’09. “The planning committee works hard all year coming up with a range of events so that there is truly something for everyone. I hope that anyone who wasn’t able to return for reunion this year will make it a point to attend Homecoming on Oct. 14 or Reunion 2018, June 7-10. Your alma mater stands ready to welcome you home!” l —Margaret Spillett

OAA Recognizes Two Alumni With Service Award Louis A. Borrelli Jr. ’77 and Jennifer Shropshire ’86 received the Oswego Alumni Association Alumni Service Award in recognition of their exemplary service to the college, our students, the Alumni Association and their professions. OAA President Lisa Marceau Schnorr ’87 and College President Deborah F. Stanley presented the awards during the College Update on Saturday, June 10.

Read the full citations online at oswego.edu/magazine.

ROBERT CLARK ’78

JENNIFER BRODERICK

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JIM RUSSELL ’83

Golden Alumni Society Inductees: Class of 1967 In Celebration of their 50th Reunion

Front row (from left): Diane Larsen-Freeman, Katherine Kelly Klein, Barbara Keller, Mary Nash Keefe, Gretchen Schmuck Renders, Bonnie Currie Hoos, Robert Harrington, Danielle Pasquale Harrington, Sharon Gensler, John Forsberg, Rita June Feeney, Judy Kane Duhaime, John DelPiano, Karen Rosendale Dahle and Pamela Obrig Cunningham; Second row (from left): Mary Jean Satterlee Munger, Leslie Brown Paice, Nancy Davis Phostole, Ann Graziosa Pryputniewicz, Joseph Jondreau, Rose DeNonno Riel, Patricia Smith Robbins, Cheryl Roock, Shannon Rafferty Savage, Robert Schelin, JoAnne Walker Staffa, Sheri Swerdfeger, Bobbie Lischak Trotter, Kathleen Smith Valentine and Shirley Beagle Villone; Third row (from left): David DePan, Eleanor Puccia Caltabiano, Betty-Jane Cain, Susan Gilman Brint, Ronald Bort, Madeleine Maillot Bort, Robert Orobona, Judy Rymal Beck, Bernard Campbell, Diane Bove Blanco, Patricia Monsour Balcom, Suzanne Lehman Ashton, Susan Tuttle Martin, Joseph Colistra, Virginia “Ginny” Simonson Bushart, Michael Andolina, Mary Sallin Andolina, Jean Vogelsperger Worzbyt and Robert McCarthy.

Attention, Party People!

Got ideas to make Reunion 2018 even better?

Or maybe you have an idea for the perfect theme?

Is it time for your group or organization to have a mini-reunion? Or are you ready to rally your classmates?

Join the Reunion Engagement and Planning Committee! Help plan our biggest celebration of the year.

Contact us at 315-312-5559 or reunion@oswego. edu by Oct. 1, 2017, to join our volunteer team.

Or contact us by Oct. 1 if you’d like to plan a minireunion for your group or organization.

Note: Reunion Weekend is always held two weeks after Memorial Day Weekend.

alumni.oswego.edu/reunion OSWEGO

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REUNION 2018 June 7 to 10 Milestone Anniversaries: ’97, ’98, ’99 - 20th 1993 - 25th 1978 - 40th 1973 - 45th 1968 - 50th 1963 - 55th 1958 - 60th 1953 - 65th 1948 - 70th 1943 - 75th Alpha Sigma Chi - 95th 32

REUNION 2019 June 6 to 9

REUNION 2021 June 10 to 13

’03, ’04, ’05 – 15th 1994 – 25th ’83, ’84, ’85 – 35th 1979 – 40th 1974 – 45th 1969 – 50th 1964 – 55th 1959 – 60th 1954 – 65th 1949 – 70th 1944 – 75th

’00, ’01, ’02 – 20th 1996 – 25th 1981 – 40th 1976 – 45th 1971 – 50th 1966 – 55th 1961 – 60th 1956 – 65th 1951 – 70th 1946 – 75th

REUNION 2020 June 4 to 7

REUNION 2022 June 9 to 12

1995 – 25th ’89, ’90, ’91 – 30th 1980 – 40th 1975 – 45th 1970 – 50th 1965 – 55th 1960 – 60th 1955 – 65th 1950 – 70th 1945 – 75th

’06, ’07, ’08 – 15th 1997 – 25th ’86, ’87, ’88 – 35th 1982 – 40th 1977 – 45th 1972 – 50th 1967 – 55th 1962 – 60th 1957 – 65th 1952 – 70th 1947 – 75th

Reunion Hotline: 315-312-5559 Email: reunion@oswego.edu Web: alumni.oswego.edu/reunion

Class Notes 1950s Miles Borden ’50 of Kings Park, N.Y., is active in local civic associations and a local historical museum. During his time at Oswego, he was the president of the student body, as well as a member of Beta Tau Epsilon and the cross country and track and field teams.

Noel Rudley ’52 is living in Scottsdale, Ariz., following retirement from his role as science coordinator for the Garden City (N.Y.) School District.

1 953: 65th Reunion – June 7-10, 2018 John “Jack” Proud ’57, one of the longest-serving county legislators in Oswego County, ends his elected government service in the fall. Proud was first elected to the Oswego County Legislature in 1995 and took office in January 1996. He represents most of the town of Mexico and a part of the town of Richland in District 7.

Proud grew up in Oswego, graduating from both Oswego High School and SUNY Oswego. He began his education career as a teacher at Mexico High School in 1958 and retired in 1994.

1 958: 60th Reunion – June 7-10, 2018

NOTES

Call us at: 315-312-2258 Email us at: alumni@oswego.edu Fax us at: 315-312-4004 Visit our website at: alumni.oswego.edu

Alumnus, Guitar Maker and Custom Inlay Artist to the Stars Some of the most famous rock ’n roll and country musicians spanning the decades can trace a treasured possession to a tiny hamlet near the New York-Canadian border, and to Dave Nichols ’66, Ph.D. They include Johnny Cash, ZZ Top, Del McCoury, David Grisman, Aerosmith and Merle Haggard. Nichols, a luthier (one who repairs stringed instruments), guitar maker and custom pearl inlayer for clients including Martin Guitars, has meticulously crafted the fingerboards, bodies, pegheads and inlays of the instruments played—or collected—by musicians and art aficionados alike.

In fact, one of his guitars, originally gifted to B.B. King, is now in the collection of the Vatican. Merle Haggard has purchased 16 guitars. A guitar, which has an inlay of Spiderman, was used in the movie of the same name.

Nichols works out of his shop in Whippleville, N.Y., which is “103 feet long with varying widths of quite a bit to quite a lot,” he joked. On the shop’s walls are memorabilia from more than a half century of work, including letters from George Jones and Johnny Cash, who loved his own custom inlay guitar that was painted black with a tree of life on the fingerboard and his signature on the peghead. B.B. King fans might recall a guitar named Lucille; that, too, included the inlay craftsmanship of Nichols.

Exotic woods like curly eucalyptus and Brazilian rosewood, as well as the less unusual but superior quality Adirondack spruce, are stocked in the shop for Nichols’ students who come from as far as Texas to attend his guitar-making classes.

In summer, Nichols travels from Maine to Virginia playing mandolin—yes, he built it himself—with his bluegrass outfit, David

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PHOTO COURTESY OF SUNY CANTON

Note: Class notes included in the magazine come from a variety of information sources, such as alumni submissions, news releases, social media posts and news media reports. To submit your class note, email alumni@ oswego.edu, call 315-312-2258, fax 315-312-4004 or submit online at alumni.oswego.edu.

CLA SS

Nichols & Spare Change. While he built his first guitar in 1959 as a high school student who had served as “free labor from a young age” in his father’s woodshop, helping to make clocks, guns and boats, he still remembers the guitar he built while he was an industrial arts student at SUNY Oswego. He can’t recall the instructor’s name, but he clearly recalls the grade he received.

“C,” Nichols said with a laugh.

Fifty years after his first guitar, Nichols built an anniversary guitar as a tribute to his career with custom inlays of his own face, then and now, on a backdrop of Brazilian rosewood.

“It is my best work,” he said.

Nichols is a 2017 inductee into the SUNY Canton Hall of Fame.

—Eileen Crandall

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1960s 1963: 55th Reunion – June 7-10, 2018 Susan Mikolay Pate ’63 of Armonk, N.Y., retired from teaching after 40 years: 28 years full time and 12 years part time.

She most recently served as a teacher of General Education Diploma and English Speakers of Other Languages classes. She now winters in Cocoa Beach, Fla. In retirement, she joined Delta Kappa Gamma for women educators.

She travels extensively, counting Turkey and Bolivia among her favorite destinations.

Margaret “Peg” Helmke McKinstry ’65 of Oswego has been active on several community

and inlays for musicians, including BB King, Johnny Cash, ZZ Top and Aerosmith. See story on page 33.

Perry Zirkel ’66, Ph.D., was honored with the 2016 Steven S. Goldberg Award for Distinguished Scholarship in Education Law, given by the Education Law Association in recognition of an outstanding article, book, book chapter or other form of scholarly legal writing. Zirkel is a professor emeritus of education and law at Lehigh University. His research focuses on empirical and practical studies of special education law, general education law and labor arbitration issues.

Edward Brozman ’67 of Sandisfield, Mass., is director of development for the Great

board and committees, including Harborfest board of directors; the YMCA board for 25 years; the Oswego County Historical Society board of trustees for 15 years, with six as president; Literacy Volunteers; Oswego holiday lighting committee; Leadership Oswego County and many more. She is a past recipient of the Zonta Club Woman of the Year award and an Amelia Earhart Award. She has worked in five different departments in the Oswego County government over a 25-year period.

After retiring in January 2003, she began working part time for the Oswego County Republican Committee office.

David R. Nichols ’66, Ph.D., of Whippleville, N.Y., is a custom guitar artist who has made guitars

Barrington (Mass.) Rudolf Steiner School. Previously, Brozman was the chief advancement officer at the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, Mass. He has also served as vice president for institutional advancement at Saint Joseph’s College in Standish, Maine, and executive director of development and alumni relations at Hartwick College in Oneonta, N.Y. Gary Meltzer ’67 of Flushing, N.Y., travels to New Orleans for the month of January each year.

Retired for 16 years, he remains active in theatre and sports.

Bernice (Bobbie) Lischak Trotter ’67 of Norristown, Pa., is a retired teacher from Mount Saint Joseph Academy in Flourtown, Pa.

Journalist’s Experience Spans Decades, Transcends Technology Dr. Jack Kevorkian case, Pete Rose’s dismissal from baseball and CNN’s Emmy award-winning Oklahoma City bombing coverage. He has interviewed a wide range of newsmakers—from auto executive Lee Iacocca to the voice of Bugs Bunny, Mel Blanc.

He predicted in a 2000 interview that the future of news would move from television toward “multi-media coverage and news on demand” and that news organizations would be delivering news on “whatever gadgets are available in 20 years.”

Indeed, he was right, and he shared news on those emerging media. After CNN closed its Detroit Bureau in 2001, Garsten decided to stay in the city and covered the automotive industry for the Associated Press and the Detroit News, breaking news in online stories. In 2005, he created a very successful corporate blog for Chrysler, TheFirehouse.biz. He retired from Chrysler in summer 2016, but he now works part time in his semi-retirement with a multimedia and video team for Automotive News.

“I am hoping that traditional news will re-align their business models to match what’s happening in society without sacrificing accuracy,” he said. “Doing journalism right can cost more money, but news stories affect everything—consumer confidence, the stock market, relations between people. We can’t sacrifice accuracy for speed’s sake.”

—Margaret Spillett

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When Queens, N.Y., native Ed Garsten ’73 enrolled at SUNY Oswego, he thought he wanted to study acting in the theatre/ speech program. But one visit to WOCR, the student-run campus radio station at the time, changed his path. He incorporated his love of theatrical characters and music with his news-junky tendencies into a passion for broadcast radio.

He worked his way up through the ranks at the station, serving as program director his senior year for up-and-coming talent like Al Roker ’76, who was a freshman.

Throughout his Oswego experience, the radio station played a leading role, even connecting him to his future wife, Susan Russell (now Garsten) ’73, who listened to Garsten’s shows and called in requests. They were engaged before graduation.

After graduation, the couple moved throughout Central New York as Ed hopped from smaller to larger radio markets. They eventually moved to Tucson, Ariz. Ed worked several jobs in radio while he earned a master’s in journalism, and Susan earned a master’s in library science at the University of Arizona.

While still in school, he moved into television as weathercaster, then reporter, and eventually a producer in Tucson. In 1981, CNN recruited him to be one of 10 producers to launch its second network, Headline News.

“That was a really, really intense time,” he said. “The building for Headline News hadn’t even been built yet and we had three days until we were broadcasting live. I remember seeing colleagues—professional journalists—leaving the building crying from the stress and workload of getting this new 24-hour station on the air.”

During his 20-year career with CNN, including 12 years in Detroit as the bureau chief and correspondent, Garsten covered a range of big stories, including the 1998 General Motors strike, the

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CLA SS She is also retired from the U.S. Air National Guard.

1968: 50th Reunion – June 7-10, 2018 Dennis Kehoe ’69 of Newark, N.Y., retired from the position of Wayne County (N.Y.) judge.

He is a graduate from the state police academy and served four years as a trooper, mainly working in the Fishkill and Albany areas.

At the age of 29, he enrolled at Western New England School of Law in Springfield, Mass. He began his legal career in Wayne County in 1979, becoming judge in 1995. He and his wife, Karen, have two daughters and three grandchildren.

Clinton Many ’69 of Brook Park, Ohio, is a senior claims adjuster for York Risk Services at GAB Robins North America.

1970s Jean Palkowski Edminster ’70 is a retired fifth-grade teacher living in Fayetteville, N.Y. She volunteers at the Encore Thrift Shop of the Syracuse Sounds of Music Association. She is also on the Everson Museum Council and belongs to the Zonta Club of Syracuse. She enjoys travel, attending theatre performances and meeting her SUNY Oswego roommate, Carol Stefanski Familo ’70, for lunch.

1973: 45th Reunion – June 7-10, 2018 Timothy Cooper ’73 of Las Vegas is musical director at Temples Bet Knesset BaMidbar and P’Nai Tikvah in Las Vegas, as well as choir director and accompanist at First Christian Church, Las Vegas, which has been selected to sing at Carnegie Hall in New York City on Nov. 19, 2017.

John DeHollander ’73 was recognized by the Oswego County Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs with a Friend of the Federation Award at its annual banquet on April 8. He is the retired director of the Oswego County Soil and Water Conservation District. He

began his career as a technician with the soil and water conservation district in 1978 and was promoted to district manager in 1985, serving for a total of 38 years.

Lynne Madden ’73 retired after 32 years at the Victor Farmington (N.Y.) Library as its youth services specialist. She and her husband headed to the Adirondacks. They have four children.

Chuck Hubbard ’74 and his wife, Jill, live in Indian Land, S.C. Chuck works for Cloeren Incorporated of Orange, Texas, a producer of precision tooling for the plastics industry. He previously worked for 36 years at Black Clawson Company in Fulton, N.Y. Jack Kaplan ’74 of Syracuse, N.Y., is a computer scientist/IT senior project manager for the United States Department of Defense in the Integration and Operations Division. He previously served as director of IT for companies in the electrical, medical and milk industries.

Andrew Bartucca ’75 of Palmyra, Va., retired from his position of program manager for Leidos.

Alan Spindler ’75 of Rome, N.Y., is an agency principal for the Allstate Insurance Agency.

Robert (Bob) Abbate ’76 of Trumbull, Conn., is president and creative director for Bob Abbate Marketing.

Patrick Bradley ’76 o f Lewiston, N.Y., is the director of public relations and communications at Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center.

Tom Hogle ’76, Ph.D., of Syracuse, N.Y., returned to Vietnam this summer via the Greatest Generation Foundation as part of the 50th anniversary of his tour in the 9th Infantry to the Mekong Delta.

Richard Wheeler ’76 of Whitney Point, N.Y., is a health sciences instructor at Binghamton (N.Y.) High School.

Christine Hoyt Barnes ’77 of Bainbridge, N.Y., is an instructional support technician for SUNY Oneonta’s Department of Chemistry.

Helene Dickinson Coon ’77 of Webster, N.Y., retired from her position as teacher for the St. Kateri School in Rochester (N.Y.).

Anne Goldych Dailey ’77 M’84 of Pennellville, N.Y., is manager of network partnerships for MST Services of Charleston, S.C. Elizabeth Dunne ’77 of Clarence, N.Y., is a teacher at Clarence Middle School and an Apple computer specialist.

Paul Giudilli ’77 of Perth, N.Y., is retired from the Houston Police Department. Since 2000 he has been a professor of criminal justice at Fulton Montgomery Community College in Johnstown, N.Y. He is also a town justice for the Town of Perth.

Denis Mahony ’77 of Virginia Beach, Va., is a transportation researcher for VBD Drive.

Kevin Smith ’77 retired on June 30 from his position as executive director of ARC of Seneca Cayuga (N.Y.). He was employed

by ARC for 36 years, serving as executive director for 35 years.

1978: 40th Reunion – June 7-10, 2018 Robert H. Anderson ’78 of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., was recognized as a Professional of the Year for 2016 by Strathmore’s Who’s Who Worldwide for his outstanding contributions and achievements over 34 years in the field of energy. He is a project specialist at Consolidated Edison. Following graduation from Oswego, he entered the U.S. Marine Corps as an officer, spent five years on active duty and remained in the Marine Corps Reserve for another 25 years.

Judy Fine Gordon ’78 of Ellicott City, Md., is an academic counselor for Baltimore City Community College.

Judy Smath ’78 of Croton-onHudson, N.Y., is group marketing director for Nielsen Film Group in New York City.

John Donohue ’79 of Lawrenceville, N.J., is the vice president for college advancement at the College of New Jersey.

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NOTES

Kevin McNamara ’79 of Hopewell Junction, N.Y., is a retired instructor for the Mahopac Central School District.

Michael Presutti ’79 of Wallkill, N.Y., retired following a 35-year career as a teacher, coach and school administrator.

1980s David Buck ’80 of Palm Springs, Calif., retired from his position as sales professional for xpedx, a distributor of packaging, facility and printing supplies and equipment.

Kathleen Smith Clark ’80 of East Arlington, Vt., is the minister of the Federated Church of East Arlington.

Mark Erskine ’80 of Seattle is the manager of creative services for the Boeing Company.

Richard Lashley ’80 was appointed to the Banc of California Inc. board of directors, as a member of the bank’s Joint Audit and Enterprise Risk committees.

Laura McGovern Lisowski ’80 was named the Bob Graham Education Center of the MiamiDade (Fla.) public schools Teacher of the Year. Lisowski’s career started in 1980 at Santa Clara (Fla.) Elementary School. She has worked in the district offices and math department and in professional development. She has presented at conferences across Florida, as well as Boston, Chicago, New Orleans and St. Louis.

Thomas Markel ’80 of Falls Church, Va., formed Markelsoft, an iOS, Android, Windows and Mac developer house. He also co-founded Bit Systems, a software engineering development company. He worked at IBM, developing the commercial software Java Encryption product Cryptolopes; TRW Inc. as a senior software developer doing classified government contracting work; and the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency as a software developer.

Michael S. McCoy ’80 of New Hartford, N.Y., was named executive director of St. Luke’s Home for the Mohawk Valley Health System.

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Prior to joining MVHS, McCoy served as administrator of record for the Edward L. Wilkinson Residential Health Care Facility on St. Mary’s Hospital Memorial Campus in Amsterdam, N.Y. He is a licensed New York State nursing home administrator.

Maria Olivet Roache ’80 of Lexington, Ky., is a senior commercial line underwriter for Liberty Mutual Insurance.

Susan O’Hara Sullivan ’81 accepted a postdoctoral research fellowship at Clemson University in Greenville, S.C. She earned a doctorate in nursing from the University of Massachusetts and a master’s degree in public health

nursing from the University of Connecticut.

Frannie Fiss Franc ’82 of Newtown, Pa., runs an educational consultant business working with students and their families. She remains in touch with SUNY Oswego friends Kathy Garry Holland ’83, Caroline Cornick Kompf ’84 M’92, Lori Brinski Blackburn ’93 M’97 and Lisa Rambarose Dombroskie ’82. She celebrated her 28th wedding anniversary with her husband and two sons on a three-week trip to Japan.

Eric R. Houghtaling ’82 of Delmar, N.Y., has been named director of marketing and admissions at the Children’s Home of Kingston, N.Y. He holds a master’s

degree in professional studies in humanistic education from SUNY New Paltz, and has served as a residential clinician and program director at the Children’s Home of Kingston since 2010.

Monique Hilton Jacobs ’82 of Latham, N.Y., is public information specialist for the school districts served by the Capital Region (Albany, N.Y.) BOCES. She earned national certification as an emergency medical technician, and she serves as a state-certified EMT and a volunteer EMT in the Capital Region, as well as for the Lake Placid (N.Y.) Ironman competition.

Charles Kamide ’82, of Liverpool, N.Y., is the regional manager for EVO Merchant Services.

Timothy Reagan ’82 of Corinth, Texas, is senior national operations manager for the Digital Services Center and Remote Services business team at Siemens Industry in Irving, Texas. He and wife, Nancy, have seven children.

Eileen Green White ’82 of Ridgefield, Conn., is an associate with New Earth Life Sciences nutrition products.

Jacqueline Wilbur ’82 of Hyde Park, Mass., is a consultant and coach for Strategic Advisory Services in Chestnut Hill, Mass.

Mary Rose Gunsalus Dow ’83 moved to Kenya, Africa, 12 years ago with her husband and their six children. They founded the Dow Family Children’s Home, where

On a rainy Saturday in May SUNY Oswego alumnus Tom Bellhouse ’86 stood trackside at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., cheering on one of his company’s most famous investments— racehorse, Always Dreaming. The thoroughbred went on to win the “greatest two minutes in sports,” the Kentucky Derby.

As the chief operating officer of West Point Thoroughbreds, Bellhouse of Saratoga, N.Y., is part of the team that owns the 3-year-old racehorse.

The company currently manages equine portfolios for over 500 partners and a stable of over 70 horses, including Always Dreaming, whose other owners are Brooklyn Boyz Stables, MeB Racing Stable, Teresa and Vinnie Viola and Siena Farm.

Bellhouse described the once “sport of kings where one person owned 50 horses” having been transformed so that “50 people can own one horse.” But he still advises people that owning a racehorse isn’t about making money or even breaking even on your investment.

“That is not what you get into this for,” he said. “You decide to own a racehorse if you have a passion for it. It is

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Helping to Keep Kentucky Derby Winner ‘Always Dreaming’ more like being part of a country club or renting a dock in a marina.”

His passion for horse racing began as a child when he would attend horse races at Belmont with his grandfather. He dreamed of becoming a horse jockey like Steve Cauthen and Tom Bellhouse ’86 (second from left) celebrated with other remembers cheering employees from West Point Thoroughbreds at Churchill Downs in May 2017. on Alydar who failed to beat the 1978 Triple tration, the New York native decided Crown winner, Affirmed. to stay in the Oswego area, taking on His arrival at SUNY Oswego signified a range of positions including assistant the start of his social maturity, he said. coach of freshman basketball at Oswego Serving as a resident advisor in the LonisHigh School, insurance salesman with Moreland-Mackin residence hall complex Northwestern Mutual, salesman for provided him with the people skills he Oswego County Distributing and perhaps relies on heavily today. most notably the owner of Excuses, a “I really learned how to get along tavern on Utica Street. with other people—people from all differ“I loved the quality of life in Oswego,” ent backgrounds,” he said. “The biggest Bellhouse said. “I was very happy there thing I learned was to be helpful, you had and had a ton of friends. Owning a neighto listen.” borhood pub was great, and I still have After Bellhouse graduated with a friends from Oswego.” bachelor’s degree in business adminis—Margaret Spillett

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CLA SS they currently care for more than 80 orphaned children.

Mark Feldman ’83 is a selfemployed certified public accountant in South Setauket, N.Y. Steven Vestigo ’83 of Riegelsville, Pa., is senior director of global business intelligence for Pfizer in Collegeville, Pa. Jocelyn Sokolski Egan ’84 of East Northport, N.Y., is the senior vice president of discovery solutions at Discovery Communications Inc. in New York City.

Mary Beth Maroney Fierro ’84 M’88 CAS’92, principal at Oswego Middle School, was named the 2017 New York State Middle School Principal of the Year by the School Administrators Association of New York State and the National Association of Elementary School Principals. In her first year, she introduced the Mentor-Scholar program, where at-risk students are paired with a mentor from the SUNY Oswego School of Education, working oneon-one with their mentee twice a week after school. This program has grown to include more than 75 students in 2017.

Jeanine McPartlin ’84 of Forest Hills, N.Y., is associate librarian for attorneys Carter Ledyard & Milburn LLC in New York City.

Mike Perrin ’84 was appointed deputy director of New York State Operations by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo in March 2017. Perrin most recently served as executive deputy commissioner of the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance. He previously served as deputy commissioner for administration and finance at the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, overseeing all agency budget functions, federal homeland security grant programs and financial aspects of Federal Emergency Management Administration funding aimed at recovery from Superstorm Sandy.

Perrin also served in the Office of the County Executive of Albany County for 15 years.

and has served on the board of directors and as general manager for the St. John the Baptist hockey program (Suffolk County, N.Y.).

He and wife, Julie, have three children.

David McNally ’86 was recently recognized by City & State magazine as one of its “50 over Fifty,” honoring New Yorkers who have distinguished themselves in civic affairs. Since 2005, McNally has been the AARP New York director of government affairs and advocacy. McNally began his career with AARP in 1994, opening the first state-based AARP legislative office in the country. Prior to AARP, he worked in a variety of communications positions for the state assembly, including as public affairs director for Majority Leader James R. Tallon.

Michael Morotti ’86 of Granite Bay, Calif., is co-founder and chief revenue officer for SuperOrg Solutions in San Francisco.

Marc P. O’Hearn ’86 is vice president and director of government banking for Evans Bank in western New York. He serves on the board of directors of the New York State Government Finance Officers Association and the Niagara County Community College Foundation. He is the financial secretary for his church and serves on the volunteer board of the Albion (N.Y.) Running Club.

Teresa Roney ’86 of Skaneateles, N.Y., rejoined attorneys Bond, Schoeneck and King in Syracuse, N.Y. Prior to rejoining Bond, she served as counsel at Bousquet Holstein and for nine years was a sole practitioner in Skaneateles. For four years, while managing her own law firm, she was the Skaneateles town supervisor.

Charles Canham ’87 of Penfield, N.Y., is media production engineer for Rochester Institute of Technology, where he is responsible for supervising the 12-camera high definition television production truck that broadcasts the RIT

Daniel Vickery ’84 of Johnsonville, N.Y., retired from his position as technology teacher for the Ballston Spa (N.Y.) Middle School. He served as Oswego State men’s ice hockey team manager from 1982-1986.

Monica Hackett Brill ’85 of Mount Morris, N.Y., is office manager for Finger Lakes Health Systems Agency in Rochester, N.Y. Jay Gussak ’85 of Yorktown Heights, N.Y., works as a sale associate for YP Marketing Solutions.

Bill Karl ’85 of Baldwinsville, N.Y., teaches 6th-grade science for the Phoenix (N.Y.) Central School District.

Dale Roberts ’85 of Greer, S.C., has worked for more than 30 years in the specialty chemicals and pharmaceutical industries.

He is a research scientist/engineer for Bausch + Lomb in Greenville, S.C. He holds a master’s in chemistry from Sacred Heart University. He and his wife, Patricia, have a daughter and two golden retrievers.

Richard Royka ’85 of Slingerlands, N.Y., is national account manager for Hallmark Cards Inc. Donna Butler ’86 of Highlands, N.J., is an associate director for Bristol-Myers Squibb Company.

Thomas E. Eiswerth ’86 of Atlanta is an executive manager and global project manager for Verizon Foundation.

Robert Hageny ’86 ’99 M’06 ’16 is advanced technology classroom operations manager for SUNY Oswego’s Campus Technology Services.

John McDermott ’86 was named Residential Management Executive of the Year by the Real Estate Board of New York. He has been responsible for Ogden CAP Properties LLC’s residential portfolio both in New York City and Washington, D.C., since 2003.

Prior to Ogden, he was a building manager for Milford Management and an asset manager for the Real Estate Recovery and Sentinel Real Estate. He is a member of REBNY’s Residential Management Council,

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Division I hockey teams as well as its Division III men’s lacrosse. He has been married for 27 years to Jacqueline Smith Canham ’86, who is a certified human resources professional and benefits administrator for Gatehouse Media. They have two sons and met at SUNY Oswego when they lived in nearby rooms on the 6th floor of Funnelle Hall.

Frank Goebel ’87 of Menands, N.Y., is an examiner with the New York State Legislative Bill Drafting Commission. He is also a senator with Junior Chamber International. Although afflicted with the genetic neuromuscular disease hereditary spastic paraplegia, he is an active bowler, having participated in three leagues this past season; he longs for his second 300 game. He completed his 15th season as secretary of the Rensselaer County men’s bowling league.

Mark Sutherland ’87 of Whippany, N.J., is historic sites manager for the Morris County (N.J.) Park Commission.

Robert Bento ’88 of Smithtown, N.Y., has taught technology, as well as served as a coach, in the Levittown (N.Y.) schools for 30 years.

Ross Goldberg ’88 of Congers, N.Y., is senior director of marketing for the diabetes division of pharmaceutical company Sanofi in Bridgewater, N.J. Patrick Lyons ’88 M’94 of Fort Mill, S.C., is a teacher for Fort Mill High School.

Diana Russo Kanfer ’89 of Liverpool, N.Y., was promoted to partner at the Bonadio Group.

She is a member of the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. Kanfer is also a member of the National Automobile Dealers Association and Greater Syracuse (N.Y.) Business Development Corporation Loan Committee.

Thomas Sullivan ’89 of Orange, Conn., is a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Stamford, Conn.

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Mary Beth Grasso Touey ’89 of Collegeville, Pa., is director of Victory Bancorp. She is also the controller of Women’s Healthcare in Pottstown, Pa., and previously held various sales and marketing positions in the Ford Motor Co., including roles in Ford Motor Credit Company, Ford Parts & Service Division, Lincoln/ Mercury, and its previously owned Premier Automotive Group.

Jeffrey Travis ’89 of Roswell, Ga., is a business analyst at NCR Corporation in Atlanta.

1990s Gary E. Bischoping Jr. ’90 is chief financial officer for Varian Medical Systems, headquartered in Palo Alto, Calif. Previously, he served Dell Technologies as chief financial officer of its Client Solutions Group, CFO of its Enterprise Solutions Group & Commercial Business and treasurer. Bischoping earned an MBA at the Simon School of Business at the University of Rochester in 1997.

Nancy Van Vranken Haley ’90 of Valley Cottage, N.Y., is treasury manager for PepsiCo Inc. in Purchase, N.Y. Erica Lakin Russo ’90 is a corporate vice president at New York Life Insurance Company.

She lives in Summit, N.J., with her husband, Vincent, and two sons, Dylan and Ethan. Dylan will attend SUNY Oswego in fall 2017.

Kevin Schofield ’90 of Madison, Conn., is director of clinical outreach services at Yale University.

Karen Cianfrocco Hinderling ’91 is the elementary school principal for the Oriskany (N.Y.) Central School District. She previously served as the director of technology, as a teacher on special assignment and as an elementary teacher.

David Belles ’92 of Lebanon, Conn., is the conductor and artistic director for the Chamber Singers at Eastern Connecticut State University, which included a stop at SUNY Oswego in March as part of the group’s spring tour.

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Brian Bishop ’92 of Columbus, Ohio, is a senior risk associate at JPMorgan Chase Bank Corp.

Russell Byer ’92 of Hilton, N.Y., is a teacher for the Penfield Central School District. He is also a volunteer with Lean2Rescue and the Northville-Lake Placid Chapter of Adirondack Mountain Club, and shares his Adirondack Park and Finger Lakes region adventures on DuctTapeADK. blogspot.com.

Jolene T. DiBrango ’92 was elected executive vice president of New York State United Teachers in April 2017. DiBrango oversees NYSUT’s Research and Educational Services Department and the Education and Learning Trust. She is the union’s liaison to the New York State Board of Regents and the State Education Department. DiBrango served as president of the Pittsford District Teachers Association from 2011 until her election to the statewide office.

Chris Golio ’92 of Chatham, N.J., is a managing director for Crestline Investors Inc. in the firm’s Business Development and Client Partnership Group. He is based in New York. Prior to joining Crestline, Golio was a partner for Constellation Associates, a managing director and chief operating officer of U.S. institutional distribution for Morgan Stanley Alternative Investment Partners, managing director and co-head of Customized Solutions for UBP Asset Management LLC, partner and head of business development at Double Alpha Group Inc., and a senior vice president at Zurich Capital Markets Inc. Randy Griffin ’92 was named the new fire chief for the Oswego Fire Department, effective March 2017. He has 30 years of experience in fire service and emergency management. He was appointed as a career firefighter in 1994 with the Fayetteville (N.Y.) Fire Department and has served in various capacities in the fire service, including training officer, health

and safety officer and director of medical operations.

Gretchen Wohlabaugh Schoen ’92 of Rochester, N.Y., is a human resources manager for optics manufacturer Sydor Optics.

1993: 25th Reunion – June 7-10, 2018 Karl Lydell ’93 was featured in the April 2017 edition of the Jamestown and Chautauqua Region Post-Journal for his contributions to music over four decades in western New York, northwestern Pennsylvania and Chicago. He plays for groups No Limit and Smokehouse, and in a duo called The Karl/Marks Show.

Jennifer Sawyer Norvell ’93 is on active duty in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate Generals Corps, serving as a trial attorney on complex criminal cases based in San Antonio. She is also an online instructor for the SUNY Oswego Human Development department.

Gerald Leske ’94 of Scotch Plains, N.J., is executive vice president for insurance brokerage firm Brown & Brown of New York.

Dave Longley ’94 was named assistant news director at NewsChannel 9 WSYR-TV in Syracuse, N.Y., following 25 years as the station’s on-air meteorologist.

Andrea Mody-Barres ’94 of New Hartford, N.Y., is a preschool teacher for the Jewish Community Center of Utica, N.Y. Matt Ryndock ’94, a 20-year veteran of the Wayne County (N.Y.) sheriff’s office, was promoted to lieutenant in charge of the sheriff’s office civil division.

Previously, he was a sergeant. He also will be commander of the emergency response team.

Rob Geyer ’95 of Camillus, N.Y., is an attorney with Wolff, Goodrich & Goldman in Syracuse, N.Y. Juliana Hannett ’95 of Great Neck, N.Y., is general press representative for Polk & Company in New York City.

Paul E. Becht ’96 of Glen Cove, N.Y., is partner at Margolin, Winer & Evens LLP. He is a certified public accountant.

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Nicole Woodall ’96 is a a senior tax manager at Firley, Moran, Freer & Eassa in Syracuse, N.Y. Previously, she worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

1997: 20th Reunion with 1998 and 1999 – June 7-10, 2018 Meegan O. Fitzpatrick ’97 was promoted in October 2016 to associate director of biological sciences at the New York State Police Forensic Investigation Center in Albany, N.Y. Frank Varriale ’97, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology at King’s College in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., received the Alfred Romer Award from the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology for his research that resulted in a key discovery about the evolution of chewing in horned dinosaurs (ceratopsians). He earned a doctorate at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine at the university’s Center for Functional Anatomy and Evolution. See related story on page 26.

1998: 20th Reunion with 1997 and 1999 – June 7-10, 2018 Barbara Forleo ’98 of Cicero, N.Y., is a tax senior manager at Firley, Moran, Freer & Eassa in Syracuse, N.Y. Previously, she worked at Ernst & Young.

1999: 20th Reunion with 1997 and 1998 – June 7-10, 2018 Todd Klaben ’99 of Camillus, N.Y., was promoted to partner at the Bonadio Group in Syracuse, N.Y. Klaben is a member of the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants (NYSSCPA) and American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Klaben currently serves as chairman of the finance committee for St. Joseph’s Church and treasurer of the Francis House Board of Directors, and is past president of NYSSCPA’s Syracuse Chapter.

Scott Wiley ’99 of Powell, Ohio, represents the Ohio Society of Certified Public Accountants

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Alumnus, Decorated Officer Set to Retire

and the national association community on Capitol Hill through the CPA Society State Executives Association, and he serves as chair of the Board for the American Society of Association Executives in Washington, D.C. He was recently featured by moneyinc.com as the author of “Four Things Every CEO Under 40 Should Be Doing.”

Colonel Mark E. Rosenstein M’95 M’98 worried that deployment would interrupt his studies at SUNY Oswego.

Stationed at the U.S. Army installation Fort Drum near Watertown, N.Y., in the mid-1990s, Rosenstein was among the first SUNY Oswego extended learning students on base; he also commuted to the Oswego campus. When the Army’s 10th Mountain Division deployed to Haiti, Rosenstein was among the troops.

But rather than put his books aside, Rosenstein continued his studies: through the postal service.

“I’d sit in Haiti in an army tent in really miserable conditions, doing my school work,” he said. “It meant a lot to me that my Oswego professors were willing to work with me.”

Rosenstein’s wife, Chong, would deliver his work to his professors and pick up the next assignments. It’s an example of the kind of place he recalls SUNY Oswego and northern New York to be: a community.

Today, the decorated officer and more than 33-year veteran of the U.S. Army is the chief of staff for the U.S. Defense Information Systems Agency, where he is responsible for coordinating the efforts of the 7,300-member organization, managing a $10 billion-plus budget. He directs staff efforts to provide global support systems for the president, secretary of defense, military departments and combat support agencies.

He will officially retire in October.

“We’ve lived around the world—Korea, Japan, Greece, Italy, Germany,” said Col. Rosenstein, who has also been deployed to Iraq three times. “But I still have great memories of my time in upstate New York and attending SUNY Oswego.”

Colonel Rosenstein enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1983. His service has been recognized with multiple awards and medals, including the Bronze Star, the Joint Service Commendation Medal and the NATO Medal, to name just a few.

In May, he was inducted into the U.S. Army Officer Candidate School Hall of Fame at Fort Benning, Ga. He and Chong, who have been married 32 years, have two daughters: Sarah and Tia. At his Army retirement party in June, he presented each of his family members, including his mother, Karlene, with red roses representing their years of service to the U.S. as well.

“I’m very fortunate that somehow, this managed to become my life,” he said.

—Eileen Crandall

2000s Ryan Lemon ’00 of Oswego is the international recruitment manager for SUNY Oswego.

Sara Durante LoPrinzi ’00 of Mineola, N.Y., is a teacher at St. Thomas the Apostle School in West Hempstead, N.Y. Ryan Baker ’01 of Phoenix, Ariz., is vice president of Equity Lifestyle Properties, managing resorts in Canada, the Pacific Northwest (Seattle and Portland, Ore.), Denver and Texas.

Michael Kite ’02 of Liverpool, N.Y., is an expansion sales director in the digital sales department for Advance Media New York. Previously, he was director of media sales-corporate partnerships at WCNY. Jeffrey Smith ’02 is a major in the U.S. Air Force assigned to the 39th Medical Group at Incirlik Air Base in Turkey.

Erin Bullard ’03 of Fabius, N.Y., is director of marketing and business development at Vertical Access in Ithaca, N.Y., and its affiliated companies, Alta Access and TPAS. Leah Walker Deasy ’03 M’06, Ph.D., of Mexico, N.Y., is an assistant professor at Jefferson Community College in Watertown, N.Y. She earned a CAS in disability studies from Syracuse University in 2009 and an Ed.D. in executive leadership from St. John Fisher College in 2016.

Joe Dottolo ’03 M’08 of Baldwinsville, N.Y., is a technology teacher in the Syracuse (N.Y.) City School District’s Danforth Middle School.

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Tiffany Roberts Piatkowski ’03 M’07 of Rome, N.Y., received the Empire State Excellence in Teaching Award in 2016. She is a technology teacher, STEM integration specialist and lead instructor for Oneida-Herkimer-Madison BOCES. Todd Silverman ’04 is a rabbi in New Orleans at the Touro Synagogue, where he is rabbinic director of lifelong learning.

Along with lifecycle events and liturgical duties, he oversees the congregation’s religious school, Hebrew program and youth group activities, classes and a four-part cooking class entitled, “In the Kitchen With Rabbi Silverman.”

Session topics have included recipes for challah, Jewish soups, Chanukah latkes and sufganiyot.

Derek Warren ’04 of Hilton, N.Y., became principal for Quest Elementary School in the Hilton Central School District on July 1.

Warren served as an administrative intern at Merton Williams Middle School and Village Elementary School in 2016.

Previously, he taught grades four through six at Village Elementary School, and served as assistant principal at Craig Hill Elementary School and West Ridge Elementary School in the Greece (N.Y.) School District. Warren holds a master’s degree in literacy education from St. John Fisher College and a certificate of advanced study in educational administration from SUNY Brockport.

Trevor J. Lehman ’05 M’06, a certified public accountant of Baldwinsville, N.Y., was promoted to manager at DiMarco, Abiusi & Pascarella in Ithaca, N.Y. Michael Olenick ’05 is chief executive officer and founder of 160ft Beerworks in Houston, where he lives with his wife, Jennifer Mott Olenick ’05, and their two children.

Stephen Tucker ’05 M’13 of Bloomville, N.Y., received the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2016.

Tucker is a professor of automotive technology for SUNY Delhi.

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Andrew Zilnik ’05 was recently selected to serve as director of field service and chief operating officer of the Connecticut Rivers Council - Boy Scouts of America. Based in Hartford, the Connecticut Rivers Council serves more than 18,000 youth throughout Connecticut.

Audrey Hager ’06 of San Antonio is a postdoctoral fellow with the University of Texas Health Center at San Antonio.

Michael Kelly ’06 of Johnstown, N.Y., is a global studies teacher for the Little Falls City School District.

Whitney Lash-Marshall ’06 of Bridgeport, N.Y., is executive director of Baltimore Woods Nature Center, a nonprofit environmental educational organization in Marcellus, N.Y. She has a master’s degree in conservation biology and a Ph.D. in environmental and natural resource policy from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, where she has served as a visiting instructor for courses in conservation, ecology and community planning.

Danielle Dills Cummins ’07 of Bergen, N.Y., is a marketing agent for Farm Credit East.

Jennifer Gaffney-Goodnough CAS’07 was named superintendent for the Sackets Harbor (N.Y.) Central School District.

Gaffney-Goodnough served as K-12 principal at Sackets Harbor Central School District for 10 years, and she has been an active member of the Sackets Harbor community throughout that time.

Joe LaPlante ’07 is leaving 7 News in Syracuse, N.Y., as the weekend weathercaster after nine years. He will work for the Glens Falls, N.Y.-based Weather Routing Incorporated, a company that forecasts weather for ships.

Sara Hamme Petrie ’07 of Monument, Colo., is an account executive for KKTV CBS 11 and a mother of three.

Jessica A. Flynn Skiff ’07 of Glenfield, N.Y., is human resources director for Lewis County General

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coordinator at Access Staffing in Melville, N.Y. Evan Duffey ’11 is a meteorologist for AccuWeather Inc. in State College, Pa. He also volunteers for the Logan Fire Company in Bellefonte, Pa. Dan Higham ’11 of Vestal, N.Y., was elected to the Society for Human Resource Management’s Young Professionals Advisory Council.

Leah Landry ’11 of Oswego is producer/web coordinator for WRVO Public Media at SUNY Oswego.

Marisa Pettus ’11 of Tuckahoe, N.Y., is an account executive for Creative Circle in New York City.

Jessica Bagdovitz ’12 of Baldwinsville, N.Y., is digital media producer for marketing firm Digital Hyve in Syracuse, N.Y. Heather Doherty ’12 of Davenport, Fla., works for Quick Food and Beverage Service at the Walt Disney Company Foundation in Orlando, Fla. Jennifer Lee ’12 of Mableton, Ga., is a colorist and video editor at ECG Productions in Atlanta.

Ashley Sauers ’12 of Baltimore is a kidney/pancreas transplant social worker at Johns Hopkins Hospital. She is also a reviewer for the Journal of Nephrology Social Work.

Hessvacio Hassan ’13 of Brooklyn, N.Y., is a software engineer and web developer for IAC Applications in Yonkers, N.Y. He is also the creator of virtual reality games and experiences, including “Don’t Look Away VR,” released in January.

Michael Keeley ’13 is the play-by-play broadcaster as the “Voice of the Rochester (Minn.)

Honkers.” He broadcasted all 72 games of the 2016 season. Keeley has also been the broadcaster for the Austin (Minn.) Bruins NAHL hockey team since 2015. He has been working in the NAHL since 2014 when he began his career with the Keystone Ice Miners (Pa.). Keeley has been broadcasting hockey since 2009 when he began his career as the radio

Hospital in Lowville, N.Y. She earned credentials as a professional in human resources from the HR Certification Institute in June 2011 and as a Society of Human Resources Management professional in January 2015.

Kristi Kaufman Taylor ’07 of Freeville, N.Y., is education director for the Advocacy Center of Tompkins County (N.Y.).

Johanna Fox Bossard M’09, an agriculture teacher for the Hamilton (N.Y.) Central School District, and her husband, Bret, received the 2016 New York State Achievement Award for Excellence and Leadership in the Agriculture Industry. The Bossards are partners at Barbland Dairy, a 1,700-head farm in Fabius, N.Y., and, in addition to her full-time teaching position at Hamilton, Johanna serves as the farm operation’s public relations and tour coordinator. She is a board member of the Madison County Farm Bureau.

Kathryn Henry ’09 M’11 is secretary of the board for the nonprofit Tiny Houses of Greensboro, N.C., which builds tiny house villages for the homeless.

Caryn Jennifer Humiston ’09 of Astoria, N.Y., and Christian Frederick Heilman married on Oct. 8, 2016. She has worked as a graphic designer in New York City for the past eight years.

Theodore Letcher ’09 of Lebanon, N.H., joined the Terrestrial and Cryospheric Sciences Branch of the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory. Letcher holds a master’s degree in atmospheric science from Colorado State University and a doctorate in atmospheric science from SUNY Albany.

2010s Pamela Russell ’10 of Parish, N.Y., is a teacher at North Syracuse Middle School.

Elisa Bleistein ’11 of Brentwood, N.Y., is a strategic staffing 40

voice of the Oswego State men’s ice hockey team.

Ashley Maher ’13 is director of the Office of Academic Affairs at Notre Dame College in Cleveland.

Alexa Rudy ’13 of Allston, Mass., is a senior associate for iProspect in Boston. She plays ice hockey in a men’s league and serves as a hockey referee on weekends.

Olivia Basile ’14 of Cheektowaga, N.Y., is a marketing specialist for McGuire Development Company.

Vincent N. Cusumano ’14 M’15 of Syracuse, N.Y., became a certified public accountant. He is a tax associate at Fust Charles Chambers, joining the firm in June 2015.

Troy Forbes ’14 of Liverpool, N.Y., is an estimator for LeChase Construction Services in Syracuse, N.Y. Holly Granat ’14 of Syracuse, N.Y., is a project coordinator in the Onondaga County Office of Environment. She holds a Master of Public Administration from Syracuse University’s Maxwell School and a master’s in forest and natural resources management from SUNY College of Environmental Sciences and Forestry.

Danielle Limer-Nies ’14 of Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y., is development operations assistant for Amnesty International USA in New York City.

Jeremy Long ’14 of Charlotte, N.C., is an associate producer with Perform Group, a sports content and media outlet. Previously, he was a production assistant for ESPNU Project.

Omy Melo ’14 of Jackson Heights, N.Y., is an assistant video editor for Nickelodeon.

Maximilian Principe ’14 is an account coordinator for the marketing agency Fifteen in Buffalo, N.Y., where he currently resides. Principe was most recently with Canalside, serving as programming manager/event coordinator.

O. Stephany Reyes ’14 of East Northport, N.Y., is an editor for the East Meadow (N.Y.) Herald

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Joseph Grande ’15 is a residence hall director for SUNY Buffalo.

Lauren Lasky ’15 of Watervliet, N.Y., is a brand strategist at Terakeet in Syracuse, N.Y. Alyssa Ashley Otoski-Keim ’15 of Wolcott, N.Y., starred as as the title character in Eurydice at the Central New York Playhouse in DeWitt, N.Y., in February.

David Owens ’15 of Oswego is a freelance illustrator and art director. He recently had an illustration featured on the cover of the Fort Worth (Texas) Weekly.

Hartley Ruch ’15 of Thornhill, Ontario, Canada, is a mortgage closing officer at HomEquity Bank in Toronto.

Allysa Swilley ’15 is lead zoologist for Animal Adventure Park in Harpursville, N.Y. She achieved internet fame as the caretaker for the world’s most famous pregnant giraffe, April. See related story on page 24.

Taylor Wendler M’15 of North Syracuse, N.Y., is an audit associate at Dermody, Burke & Brown in Syracuse, N.Y. Alyssa Besio ’16 of Pleasant Valley, N.Y., is a development assistant at Neighbors Link Northern Westchester (N.Y.).

Adam L. Kroft M’16 of Manlius, N.Y., is a staff accountant in the tax services group at Grossman St. Amour CPAs in Syracuse, N.Y. Jamie Lavigueur ’16 is multimedia producer for MLB Advanced Media in New York City.

Sasha Padilla ’16 was awarded a National Science Foundation graduate research fellowship at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind. James Walters ’16 of Colorado Springs, Colo., is a producer at KRDO Newschannel 13.

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Oswego Matters

By Executive Director Betsy Oberst

I

am delighted to welcome the newest members of our alumni and communications teams. Matt Cummins joined us this winter as associate director of communications and Mitch Galvin M’15 has just joined us this summer as assistant alumni director.

Matt brings a wealth of experience in marketing and social media and has already helped us grow our alumni followers on our various social media channels. As it becomes increasingly more expensive for us to utilize mailings to invite alumni to Local Laker regional events or other events on campus, we will rely more and more on communicating through social media and email.

So please make sure we have your current email address and “like” us on Facebook (Oswego Alumni), Twitter, etc., so you don’t miss out on any news or events! All of these communication vehicles allow us to share more things with you on a regular basis, as well as connecting you to more Oswego alumni!

Mitch will work with our growing student programming, linking students to alumni and building that Laker pride, in addition to working with Reunion groups and other alumni programming.

Another staffing change for us is that our long-time in-house graphic expert, Creative Director for Alumni and Development Communications Jennifer Broderick, has taken on the design of this beloved magazine, effective with this issue.

We had previously outsourced the design of the magazine. As Jennifer becomes more familiar with the complex design of this large publication, look for new innovations and improvements!

This magazine is about a lot of “firsts”… as you will read about Allysa Swilley ’15 and the birth of April the giraffe’s famous baby, followed by millions online, and our exciting SUNY Oswego Guinness World Record set on the Today show with Al Roker ’76 during Rokerthon 3.

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Our own alumni director, Laura Pavlus Kelly ’09 and husband, Michael, welcomed their first child, Callahan Richard … who we just assume will be Oswego Class of 2039!

Congratulations, Laura and Mike, and welcome Cal! On a personal note, Jerry ’77 and I were thrilled to be a part of the largest 40th reunion ever at Oswego—for the Class of 1977—in June. That phenomenal group of class volunteers has set the bar for all other classes. Please consider joining us as a Reunion 2018 volunteer for your class (or group). Or, come back to campus to speak in classes as part of our Alumni-In-Residence (AIR) program, sign up to help mentor students as part of the Alumni Sharing Knowledge (ASK) program or join our growing Local Lakers network of volunteers to plan an Oswego event in your area.

Please take a few moments and help us by sharing your feedback on the 2017 alumni survey about all of the programs and services and communications that will serve you best (See page 15). Our Oswego Alumni Association Board of Directors and alumni and communications teams really want and need your input! We’ll report back on the results of the alumni survey in an upcoming issue.

Hope to see you soon!

With Laker pride,

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Making Connections: 2017 ALANA Conference Keynote Speaker Tiraya Conyers ’15

When you came to SUNY Oswego, you were a kid from the Bronx coming to a rural college campus. What was that like?

Coming from the Bronx to SUNY Oswego was an exciting transition for me. I’ve always been really big on exploring the unfamiliar and stepping out on faith. I didn’t have the money or means to visit, so all I could go off of was the curriculum and the gorgeous campus images … and honestly, I was sold!

Oswego looked like everything I imagined college would. It also seemed like the perfect balance for me with distance, diversity and opportunity. I truly love nature and running, so the campus size and lakeside view were also pluses!

I will always remember coming the summer before the fall semester officially began, as an EOP [Educational Opportunity Program] student. The upperclassmen were so passionate about student leadership and involvement and that stuck with me from day one to graduation. I will always love SUNY Oswego for offering me the opportunity to be great.

Once you settled in at SUNY Oswego, it’s clear you became highly involved, from track and field to serving as a prospective student tour guide to so much more. What’s behind your ambition and drive?

Coming from the Bronx, and having a really strict single parent mom, I used the opportunities at SUNY Oswego to find and express myself. The thing that I would always ask myself and keep in mind, having so many choices, was, “Is this going to enhance my life or resume?” If it did, I went for it.

Everything that I was interested in came from a passion, like leadership, empowerment and the Afro-Caribbean culture. Every chance I had to explore and express those

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interests in my free time, I did it! It began with running track, then ALANA organizations such as the African Student Organization, then larger organizations like Student Association Programming Board, then tour guiding with the Admissions department. With each commitment I learned so much about myself and others; I just evolved and grew with each new role.

Following your graduation you returned to the city to work in the field of recruitment for international law firms. What was that job like?

In “Big Law” the recruiting season is everything, and companies want the top 10 percent from the top 10 percent (of law schools). I basically prepared for on-campus interviews, recruiting events, recruiting dinners and summer internships.

You went on to become a personal trainer, instructor and founder of Vanity Unedited Yoga & Meditation in New York City. How did that come about?

In NYC everything and everyone is so fast-paced, they often lose connection with their true selves in the process. It definitely keeps me busy and fulfilled knowing that I get to teach people how to let go and work with themselves in a more gentle and relaxing way, both mentally and physically. I work with all levels and backgrounds so that’s also really fun and keeps me on my toes!

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Tiraya Conyers ’15 is a health strategist and personal trainer for Equinox in midtown Manhattan. She is also the founder of Vanity Unedited Yoga & Meditation, teaching meditative practices to private and corporate clients - sometimes on the rooftops of New York City buildings. Conyers is this fall’s SUNY Oswego African, Latino, Asian and Native American (ALANA) Student Leadership Conference keynote speaker; she’ll return to campus and share her experiences and wisdom with students participating in the 31st annual multicultural educational leadership program.

You are slated to be the keynote speaker for SUNY Oswego’s ALANA Week Conference in September.

What does ALANA mean to you?

ALANA means cultural diffusion, love, art, empowerment and leadership … the epitome of diversity.

—Eileen Crandall

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Newlyweds: Send us your Oswego wedding photo and caption! Email to alumni@oswego.edu.

4BARDIN-DREHER—Emily Bardin ’11 married Jay Dreher ’11 on June 24, 2016, in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Pictured (from left) are Fred Champagne ’54, Thomas Mulvena ’13, Emily Bardin ’11, Jay Dreher ’11, Andrew Buchmann ’13 M’16, Gracie Dreher ’13 and Kyle Contestabile ’13 CAS’14.

5 BUNKER-HARRIS—Andrea Bunker ’09 and Matthew Harris were married July 30, 2016, in Ellicottville, N.Y. Pictured (from left) are Eric Wasacz ’09 M’11, Heather Lucarelli Wasacz ’09, Melissa Latella ’09, Andrea Bunker ’09, Matthew Harris, Cara Murphy ’09, Casey Reed Button ’09, Chuck Button ’09 and Mary Luley ’09.

5 DIFLORIO-STEENBERGH— Stephan DiFlorio ’07 and Amanda Steenbergh were married Aug. 23, 2015, at MacRay Harbor in Harrison Township, Mich.

4MORAN-JACOBOWITZ— Kathleen Fitzpatrick Moran ’77 married David Jacobowitz ’70 on Nov. 12, 2016, at the Harbor Hotel in Clayton, N.Y. From left: Cody Connor, Teri Rinella Connor ’76, Jim Andrews ’78, Muriel Andrews, Tom Dixon ’76, Shannon Dixon, Kathleen Fitzpatrick Moran ’77, David Jacobowitz ’70, Helene Dickinson Coon ’77, Don Coon ’76, Karen Hoole, Gary Hoole ’77, Sally Sodemann Sroka ’66 and John Sroka ’66.

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Alumni Bookshelf We celebrate and share the success of Oswego alumni authors, illustrators and recording artists, who may ask their publisher/distributor to send a copy of the work to the Oswego alumni office to be considered for this column and our website, where cover photos of all works in this column will be displayed.

Thomas MacPherson ’73

Thomas M. Barden M’00

Crossing Cultures: A Sicilian and American Family in Western New York

Napoleon’s Purgatory: The Unseen Humanity of the ’Corsican Ogre’ in Fatal Exile

MILNE LIBRARY, 2016.

Visual artist MacPherson uses graphic narrative to tell family stories spanning generations of two immigrant families: one Sicilian and one Scottish.

The book shares the hardships faced by a family at the boundaries of Italian and American cultures, and examines the intersection with German- and ScottishAmericans as the family married out of the circle of Sicilian immigrants. These character studies are a compelling blend of oral history, direct observation, family photographs, original egg tempera and oil portrait paintings, and historical events that shaped lives in the 19th and 20th centuries.

VERNON PRESS, 2017.

Napoleon’s Purgatory portrays the human side of Napoleon Bonaparte as revealed by those who shared his exile on the island of St. Helena.

Through the diaries and journals of the emperor’s servants, generals and companions come the stories of Napoleon’s tender love for children, his captivating sense of humor, his eternal love for Josephine and his agonizing death. While many considered Napoleon the “Corsican Ogre” for the wars he waged across Europe, he was anything but during his exile on St. Helena.

Lou Paduano ’04 Michael Sova ’91 Parlor City Paradise

Tales From Portents: A Greystone Collection Novel

MICHAEL SOVA PUBLISHING, 2016.

ELEVEN TEN PUBLISHING, 2016.

Skid Row has been on his own since the age of 14.

He gets by well enough, but thinks he’d like something more out of life than an occasional toke, his dead-end job and a rented room at the Y. Bullfrog came from a very different upbringing. He had loving parents and all the benefits of the upper middle class. Then, Bullfrog’s world was turned tragically upside-down, and he became a drifter, disillusioned and without any real direction. Skid Row and Bullfrog cross paths, and a disastrous first meeting gradually develops into an unlikely friendship. Together, they hatch a perilous scheme that could be the answer to all of their problems.

The beasts Detective Loren and Soriya Greystone battled in Paduano’s debut novel Signs of Portents were just a hint of what lurks in the city of Portents. Tales From Portents explores the city’s immersive history, including stories of Loren’s descent after his wife’s death and his opportunity to have her rise from the grave. Soriya battles gremlins, navigates lessons from Mentor and meets the werewolf Luchik.

Follow new characters as they come faceto-face with the horrors of Portents— both human and otherwise.

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M E M O R I A M

Charles Brown ’35 of Hackettstown, N.J., died Oct. 29, 2016, at the age of 102. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II. Charles began his career in education in New Jersey in 1936. He served as a teacher and administrator at several schools until he retired in 1982.

Surviving are his son, Charles, two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Mary Honors Benson ’38 of Chittenango, N.Y., died Oct. 18, 2016. She began her teaching career in a one-room schoolhouse. After raising her family, she returned to teaching in the Chittenango Central School District, retiring in 1981. Mary is survived by three children, six grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.

Cora Hughes Bura ’39 of Watertown, N.Y., died April 4, 2014. Cora began her teaching career in Chaumont, N.Y., and later taught first grade in the General Brown Central School District for 30 years before retiring in 1975. She is survived by many nieces and nephews.

Betty Studer Closs ’39 of North Rose, N.Y., died Jan. 24, 2016. She taught for 30 years in the North Rose-Wolcott Central School District.

Betty is survived by three daughters, eight grandchildren and three great-grandsons.

Eileen AuClair Mahaney ’39 of South Bend, Ind., died April 16, 2014. She taught in the South Bend area for many years. Eileen is survived by three daughters, four grandsons and four grandchildren.

Mary Leroy Mayer ’39 of Rumford, R.I., died Feb. 14, 2014. She was a school secretary for the East Providence School District for 19 years, retiring in 1987. Surviving are two children, five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Doris Smithers McNee ’42 of Chapel Hill, N.C., died April 4, 2017. She taught second grade at Mexico (N.Y.) Academy for 10 years and later in Cincinnati (Ohio) Public Schools.

Doris is survived by five children, 12 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

Robert Griswold ’47 of Ogdensburg, N.Y., died April 23, 2014. He served with the U.S. Army during World War II. Robert earned a master’s degree from St. Lawrence University and taught in the Ogdensburg City School District from 1947 until his retirement in 1977.

He is survived by his wife, Ruth, three children, two stepchildren, two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Ernest Leal ’47 of Camillus, N.Y., died Feb. 26, 2017. He served with the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II. He earned a master’s degree at Syracuse University. He taught in the Syracuse City School district for 29 years, retiring in 1976. Ernie was predeceased by his wife, Elizabeth Grieve Leal ’45. He is survived by two daughters, four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Ralph Hatch ’49 of Monroe Township, N.J., died Sept. 24, 2016. He served with the

U.S. Army during World War II. Ralph taught in the Mineola Union Free School District (N.Y.) for many years, retiring in 1984. He is survived by his companion, Iris Gittelman, and his nieces and nephews.

Barbara Olmstead Kemp ’49 of West Carthage, N.Y., died July 3, 2013, the Alumni Office learned recently. She taught in the Carthage Central School District for 35 years, retiring in 1984.

James Kemp ’49 of West Carthage, N.Y., died March 3, 2017. He served with the U.S. Navy during World War II. Jim earned a master’s degree from St. Lawrence University in 1952. He taught in the Carthage Central School District for many years. He retired as assistant principal in 1985. He was predeceased by his wife, Barbara Olmstead Kemp ’49, in 2013. Jim and Barbara are survived by two daughters, Janet Kemp and Pamela Kemp Shepherd, and two grandchildren, Zachary Shepherd and Elizabeth Shepherd ’14.

Martin (Goldberg) Landis ’50 of Boynton Beach, Fla., died Dec. 18, 2015. He is survived by his wife, Gertrude, two children, grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

William Scafidi ’50 of St. Remy, N.Y., died Sept. 27, 2015. He served with the U.S. Navy during World War II. He earned a master’s degree from Albany State Teachers College. Bill was employed with the Kingston (N.Y.) School District for more than 30 years, retiring as vice principal of Kingston High School. Surviving are his wife, Frances, three children, two grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

Lorraine Braun Levey ’51 of Scarsdale, N.Y., died January 27, 2017.

Annette Achenbaum Morse ’51 of Boynton Beach, Fla., died March 3, 2017. She is survived by three children, five grandchildren and a great-grandson.

Gloria “Sandi” Olson ’51 of Flagstaff, Ariz., died Dec. 8, 2016.

Ethel Heinrich Schmidt ’51 of Redding, Calif., died Jan. 22, 2017. Ethel is survived by three children, five grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

Daniel Feldman ’52 of Jamesville, N.Y., died April 10, 2017. His first teaching assignment was in West Leyden before joining the military to serve in Korea. Dan later taught in the Jamesville-Dewitt Central School District and retired from Jamesville-Dewitt High School. He is survived by his wife, Laura Erdman Feldman ’60, and two daughters.

Judith Obergfall Goodman ’52 of Princeton, N.J., died Feb. 3, 2017. She began her teaching career in Newport, N.Y., in 1953. Judy is survived by four children, six grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Leonard Cooper ’53 M’58 of Phoenix, N.Y., died Feb. 8, 2017. He served with the U.S. Army. Leonard taught in Brownville, and was a teacher and administrator in the Baldwinsville (N.Y.) Central School District for 39 years, retiring in 1989. He is survived by his wife, Carol, four children, 13 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

Shirley Knopp McIntosh ’53 of Chesapeake, Va., died Jan. 27, 2017. She taught in the Liverpool (N.Y.) Central School District for 39 years, retiring in 1992. In retirement, Shirley was a substitute teacher in the Chesapeake City Public School District. She is survived by four children, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Rose Rodriguez Remavich ’55 of Springfield, Mass., died March 31, 2017. She earned a master’s degree from Westfield State College.

She taught in the Huntington, N.Y., and West Springfield, Mass., school districts for 33 years. Rose is survived by two sons and four grandchildren.

John Hatch ’56 of Harrison, Maine, died April 20, 2017. John served with the U.S. Army from 1956 until 1958. After his discharge from the Army, he began his teaching career in Hyde Park, N.Y., then taught at Arlington Junior High in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., until his retirement. He is survived by his wife, Marilyn, and sons, Mark and Scott.

Phillip Kranz ’57 of Slingerlands, N.Y., died April 9, 2017. Phil served with the U.S. Navy during the Korean War. He taught in the Guilderland (N.Y.) School District until his retirement in 1984. He was predeceased by his wife, Loyal Henderson Kranz ’56, and his brother, Gerald Kranz ’61. Surviving are two sons, four grandsons and four siblings, including Bertha Kranz Leighton ’49.

Vivian Brown Bouck M’58 of Schuyler, N.Y., died Feb. 14, 2017. She earned a bachelor’s degree at SUNY Geneseo in 1947. She taught in Johnstown, Clinton, Mexico and Ilion in New York. She taught for 19 years at Marcy Elementary in the Whitesboro (N.Y.) Central School District, retiring in 1981. Vivian is survived by a son, Jeffrey.

Maurice Barkan ’59 of Hauppauge, N.Y., died Sept. 16, 2015. He is survived by his wife, Myra Rosenberg Barkan ’59.

Frank Bartello ’59 of Oswego died April 16, 2017. He taught driver education and industrial arts technology in the Oswego City School District for more than 35 years, retiring in 1994. Frank is survived by his wife, Carol; daughters, Kathy Bartello Auyer M’89 and Linda Bartello Goewey ’85 M’88 CAS ’06; son-in-law, Dean Goewey ’84 M’88 CAS’94; and five grandchildren, including Stephanie Auyer M’14.

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Carl Benninghoff ’59 of Sarasota, Fla., died Feb. 19, 2017. He served in the U.S. Navy for four years before attending SUNY Oswego.

Carl earned a master’s degree from Rutgers University. He taught in South Brunswick, N.J., for eight years then served as principal for 17 years. He is survived by his wife, Roberta Pedersen Benninghoff ’60, three daughters and eight grandchildren.

William Beswick ’59 of East Windsor, Conn., died Sept. 16, 2014. He served in the U.S. Army from 1954 to 1956, and at one time played in the 101st Airborne Band. Bill spent many years working in manufacturing management before becoming an instructor at A.I. Prince Technical High School in Hartford, Conn. Surviving are three children, five grandchildren and two great-grandsons.

Joseph Paterniti ’59 M’67 of Camillus, N.Y., died Feb. 28, 2017. He taught industrial arts technology and coached football for 32 years at Westhill (N.Y.) Central High School.

Joe is survived by his wife, Linda Coe Paterniti ’59, three sons, eight grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.

Richard Quinn ’59 of Leesburg, Fla., died Aug. 14, 2016.

Mary Byrne Sy ’59 of Lockport, N.Y., died April 3, 2017. She is survived by two sons and five granddaughters.

Mary Bradley Bliss M’60 of Baldwinsville, N.Y., died May 5, 2017. She earned a bachelor’s degree at Syracuse University. After her youngest children were in school, she began substitute teaching. Later in life, she became a credentialed alcoholism and addictions counselor. Mimi is survived by four children and two grandchildren.

Marlow Burt ’60 of Dexter, N.Y., died May 14, 2017. He served with the U.S. Army Radar Signal Corp. He worked in the arts for many years, directing the New Hampshire Commission on the Arts, serving as development director for WCNY-TV in Syracuse and working as program administrator for five years for Syracuse University Theater. In addition, he worked for 10 years as executive director of Minnesota’s St. Paul-Ramsey Arts and Science Council and was the president and executive director of the Kentucky Center for the Arts from 1983 to 1997. Marlow is survived by his wife, Cathy, two children and four grandchildren.

Willard Kesel ’60 of Cohocton, N.Y., died Jan. 30, 2017. He taught in the Greece and Naples school districts in New York. Bill is survived by his wife, Mildred, three children and seven grandchildren.

Raymond Mann ’60 of Manlius, N.Y., died Feb. 12, 2017. He earned a master’s degree from Hofstra University in 1966. Ray began his

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teaching career on Long Island before moving to the Fayetteville-Manlius School District, where he became assistant principal at Wellwood Middle School. He later served as principal at Eagle Hill Middle School until 1985, when he became the deputy superintendent of schools, a position he held until his retirement in 1999. Ray is survived by his wife, Helene Sharo Mann ’60; two daughters, Sister Claire Benedicta of the Cross O.C.D. and Heather Mann; and two grandchildren.

Marion Brauner Covello ’61 of Westhampton Beach, N.Y., died May 1, 2016. She taught in the Westhampton Beach School District from 1961 until her retirement in 1995. Marion is survived by two sons and three grandchildren.

Lois Robbins Potter ’61 of Richland, N.Y., died April 23, 2017. She had been a teacher for 10 years. Surviving are her husband, Richard; her mother, Irene Robbins; five children and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

James Scheutzow ’61 of Jeffersonville, N.Y., died Dec. 14, 2016. After graduation, he taught in Syracuse until his National Guard unit was activated. He served with the U.S. Air Force in Europe during the Berlin crisis. After his service, Jim taught for 31 years at Jeffersonville Youngsville Central School. Jim is survived by his wife, Mary Byrnes Scheutzow ’63; two sons, Michael and Paul; and three grandchildren.

Barbara Brill Wright ’62 of Nyack, N.Y., died March 26, 2017. She taught for six years in Tallman, N.Y., then worked with her husband at Wright Bros. Real Estate and Insurance in Nyack. Barbara is survived by her husband, Raymond.

Dean Woodard ’63 of Rome, N.Y., died April 13, 2017. He taught at Rome Free Academy for 32 years, retiring in 1995.

Surviving are his wife, Kathleen, three children and eight grandchildren.

Hilda Ormasen Clemens ’64 of Hilton Head Island, S.C., died Jan. 10, 2017. She taught for many years in the Sandy Creek (N.Y.) Central School District. She is survived by three children, Bob, Sue Ann and Tove Clemens Casper M’81; a granddaughter and a great-grandson.

Carol Taurisano Bedell ’65 of Deerfield, N.Y., died Jan. 22, 2017. She taught in several schools in the Utica area for many years. Carol is survived by her husband, Robert, three children and eight grandchildren.

James Kundell ’66 M’71 of Watkinsville, Ga., died April 19, 2017. Jim earned a Ph.D. at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. He was on the faculty of the University of George’s Carl Vinson Institute of

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Government for 30 years, retiring in 2007. He is survived by his wife, Linda, two children and four grandchildren.

John Nagelschmidt ’66 of Minetto, N.Y., died April 23, 2017. He taught for 30 years at G. Ray Bodley High School in the Fulton City School District, retiring in 1996. John began working at the Midway Drive-In Theatre in Minetto in 1961. He purchased the drive-in in 1987, and along with his wife, managed it for almost 30 years. John is survived by his wife, Judy; two children, Heidi Nagelschmidt M’04 and John ’02; and two grandchildren.

Elizabeth Fowler ’68 of Rome, N.Y., died June 1, 2016.

Joanne Lavery Leithner ’68 of Oswego died March 13, 2017. She taught for many years in the Arlington Central School District in Lagrangeville, N.Y. Joanne is survived by her brothers and sisters.

Shirley Yelas ’68 of Scottsdale, Ariz., died May 7, 2017. She taught for many years in the Paradise Valley School District. Shirley is survived by her brother, Bill; sister, Barbara Yelas Lanigan ’66; brother-in-law, James Lanigan ’66; and several nieces and nephews.

Paul Caron ’69 of Clifton Park, N.Y., died Jan. 30, 2017. He earned a master’s degree at SUNY Cortland and a doctorate from George Mason University. While living in Oswego, he served as the director of the Oswego Chamber of Commerce. He went on to several other ventures, including general manager for the Suncoast Suns and an NHL scout for the Quebec Nordiques. More recently Paul worked as an educational consultant. He is survived by his wife, Ann; sons, Matthew ’92 and Adrian; and two grandchildren.

Bruce Boissoin ’70 of Barrie, Ontario, Canada, died Jan. 30, 2017. He worked in sales and manufacturing. Bruce is survived by four children.

Thomas Busby ’70 of Monroe Township, N.J., died Jan. 24, 2017. He earned a master’s degree at Rutgers University in 1981 and a Ph.D. in 1986. He taught pathology at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. Surviving are his wife, Claire, a daughter and a granddaughter.

Brian Finnerty ’70 of Utica, N.Y., died March 2, 2014. He worked as a senior claims examiner for Frontier Insurance, retiring in 2002. Brian is survived by his wife, Johanna, a sister and two brothers.

R. Alan Heath ’70 of Oswego died Jan. 28, 2017. He was a Vietnam War veteran, serving with the U.S. Navy and Navy Reserves from 1970-1976. He worked for Fireman’s Fund Insurance, then as supervisor of fire protection and in the training department at the James

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Fitzpatrick Nuclear Power Plant from 19811994. He opened his own business, FIREPRO Technical Services in 1988. Al is survived by his wife, Jeanette Christel Heath ’71; sons, Erik, Stephen and Todd; four grandchildren and step-grandchildren.

Karen Szafraniec Magnarelli ’70 of Syracuse, N.Y., died April 6, 2017. She taught in the Syracuse City School District for more than 30 years. Surviving are her husband, William, three children and four grandchildren.

Jacqueline Haas Kennerknecht ’72 of New Hartford, N.Y., died Jan. 15, 2017. She was employed for many years by New York Telephone and retired from Verizon. Jackie is survived by three children, four grandchildren and her sisters, Cherill Burrows and Bonnie Haas Wilson ’67.

Charles Steiner ’72 of Niskayuna, N.Y., died April 18, 2017. He was a graduate of Niagara County Community College. He served as president and CEO of the Niagara Falls Area Chamber of Commerce until 2001. Chuck served as president and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce of Schenectady County from 2002 until July 2015 when he became president of the new Capital Region Chamber of Commerce. Surviving are his wife, Marcy, two sons, three stepchildren and 11 grandchildren.

Patricia McKendrick Akullian Theobald ’72 of Dunnellon, Fla., died May 5, 2017. She was employed with the NYS Office for People with Developmental Disabilities for 33 years.

Pat is survived by daughters, Laura Akullian D’Agostino ’01, Jennifer Akullian and Lisa Akullian Gentry; four stepchildren and nine grandchildren.

Alta Rath Vero ’72 of Chittenango, N.Y., died Jan. 4, 2016. She was predeceased by her husband, Fred Vero ’51, two children and a grandson. Alta is survived by her children, Marie Vero Kuhl, Frank, Fred, Janice Vero Lincoln ’80 and Alta Hamelinck; 10 grandchildren and five great-grandsons. She is also survived by her siblings, Fritz Rath ’59, Nancy Ellis, Janice, Bill and Marjorie.

William Tomlinson ’74 of Blytheville, Ark., died July 16, 2016.

Mark McLane ’76 of Whitesboro, N.Y., died Jan. 13, 2017. He earned a Juris Doctorate from the University of Buffalo Law School. He began his career at Kernan and Kernan Law Firm in 1980, and later became a partner. Mark established the law firm of McLane, Smith & Lascurrettes, where he practiced until his retirement in 2014. Surviving are his brother, John; his sister, Kathleen Cooney; his partner of many years, Debra Flihan; and many nieces and nephews.

Gary Morrisette ’78 of Oswego died April 5, 2017. He taught technology at Mexico (N.Y.) High School, and later was employed with Niagara Mohawk and Centro. He is survived by his wife, Dianne, two children and four granddaughters.

Dawn Burton ’79 of Clifton Park, N.Y., died Sept. 21, 2016. She was a senior pharmacy benefits manager for United Healthcare. Dawn is survived by her sister, Susan Berres, and nieces and nephews.

Dora Wheat Burnett ’80 of Clinton, N.Y., died April 17, 2017. She was a caseworker/ supervisor with Central New York Developmental Services Office. Surviving are four children and four grandchildren.

Liselotte Locher Button M’80 of Oswego died April 20, 2017. She is survived by her husband, Jay Button, Associate Professor Emeritus of Curriculum and Instruction; her children, Karl, Eric and Karin ’91 M’00; and two grandchildren.

Brenda Schoff ’80 of Rome, N.Y., died Feb. 19, 2017. She earned a master’s degree from SUNY Albany. Brenda taught Spanish in the Sharon Springs (N.Y.) Central School District. Surviving are her siblings, Marsha and Charles Schoff, and two nieces.

Billie Crandall Brady ’82 of Oswego died Feb. 1, 2017. She had been the coordinator of the traffic safety board with Integrated Community Planning since 2003. Surviving are her husband, Dennis ’90; two sons, Griffin and Nathan; and a grandson.

Joseph Toscano ’85 of Randolph, Mass., died March 17, 2017. He was a 20-year firefighter for the Watertown (Mass.) Fire Department and was working an active fire at the time of his death. Joe is survived by his wife, Maureen, and his children, Alyssa, Patrick, Mary Cate, William and Michael.

Ann Daly Reeves ’86 of Oswego died Jan. 30, 2017. She is survived by her husband, Ronald; her daughter, Rebecca Manchester; and two grandchildren.

Mary Lester Gosek ’87 of Oswego died June 3, 2017. She had recently retired after serving as a computer program analyst at SUNY Oswego for 34 years. She was the founder of Peaceful Remedies and president of the Oswego Chapter of Hope for Heather.

Mary is survived by her husband, Edward ’83, Head Coach of Men’s Ice Hockey; her parents, Bruce, Professor Emeritus of Counseling and Psychological Services, and Patricia Lester ’81; and her children, Sarah and Jeremy.

She is also survived by four sisters, and several nieces and nephews.

Laree Pease ’88 of Oswego died April 15, 2017. She attended Kinman Business School

in Spokane, Wash., before moving to Oswego, where she lived for more than 60 years. She was employed at SUNY Oswego from 1961 until her retirement as senior staff assistant to the provost in 1992. Laree was on the board of directors for the Oswego Emeriti Association, serving as secretary until recently. She is survived by two sons, Daniel and Michael, two grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Patricia Tomaino-Darrow M’88 of Constantia, N.Y., died Jan. 23, 2017. She earned a bachelor’s degree from LeMoyne College. Patty taught in the Altmar-ParishWilliamstown (N.Y.) Central School District for many years. Surviving are her husband, Timothy; daughters, Elena Darrow ’10 and Hilary Darrow; and a granddaughter.

Timothy Corbett ’93 of Camillus, N.Y., died Feb. 24, 2017. He began his career with CNA Insurance Company in California before moving to Chicago, where he was a systems analyst for Allstate Insurance Company. He returned to his hometown of Camillus to take a job with CCC. Tim is survived by his mother, Joanne Corbett; brothers, Jim, Bill and Pat; sisters, Erin O’Sullivan and Karri Elderbroom; and 11 nieces and nephews.

Clark “Pete” Morrison ’95 of Oswego died April 2, 2017. He served in the U.S. Navy aboard the USS Moale. He was a business owner and was formerly employed with the Palladium-Times. Pete is survived by his wife, Cecily Spataro Morrison ’79; son, Collin; and his siblings, Nancy Zysk and Graham and David Morrison.

Jane Rodak Heretyk ’99 of Fulton, N.Y., died April 13, 2017. She is survived by her children, Joan Heretyk Foster ’72, John Heretyk, Shelley Garg and Nancy Abel; five grandchildren and three great-granchildren.

Contributions in Jane’s memory may be made to the modern languages department, c/o Oswego College Foundation, 215 Sheldon Hall, Oswego, N.Y. 13126.

Christopher Stuhlman ’14 of Whitesboro, N.Y., died Oct. 8, 2016. He earned an associate’s degree from Mohawk Valley Community College and was currently attending Utica College for a degree in nursing. Chris is survived by his parents, Ronald and Sharon; two sisters, Kelly and Mary; his brother, Bryan; and his grandparents.

James Brett, Assistant Professor Emeritus of English, died Jan. 25, 2017. He earned a bachelor’s degree in 1953 from Notre Dame University. He served with the U.S. Army from 1953-1955. He was a reporter for the Watertown Daily Times for many years. He taught journalism at Oswego from 1971 until his retirement in 1996. Jim was a member of the

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organizing committee of SUNY Colleges in the North Country at Fort Drum. He is survived by a cousin.

Lawrence DeLucia, Associate Professor Emeritus of Economics, of Tucson, Ariz., died April 12, 2017. He earned a bachelor’s degree at Cornell University and a Ph.D. from the University of Arizona. Larry taught for eight years at the University of Arizona. He was appointed at Oswego on Sept. 1, 1967, and retired July 1, 1977. Surviving are his wife, Florence, and his son, Lawrence.

Cyndia Donovan, Manager of the Marano Campus Center Box Office, died March 13, 2017. She worked at Oswego for 42 years. Cyndi is survived by her husband, Timothy; daughter, Brandy Weigelt; son, Michael; and four grandchildren, including Elexis Rinoldo ’20.

Michael Fox, Professor Emeritus of Art, died April 4, 2017. He was appointed at Oswego on Sept. 1, 1967, retiring Dec. 31, 1999.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in 1962 and a master’s degree in 1969, both from SUNY Buffalo. Michael taught in the Rochester area for two years before accepting a position at Morehead State University in 1965. He received the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1981. Michael is survived by his wife, Carol; daughter, Kathryn Fox Groves ’99; and two grandchildren.

Barbara Gerber, Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus of Counseling and Psychological Services, died March 21, 2017. Barbara was a founder of the Women Studies program and was also dean of professional studies. She was appointed at Oswego on Sept. 1, 1965, and retired Aug. 28, 1998.

She was predeceased by her partner, Nancy Seale Osborne ’70, Librarian Emerita, and two grandchildren. Barbara is survived by her daughter, Jaime Gerber Baitsell ’91; grandsons, Keith and Daniel; and her great-grandchildren.

Robert Wernick, Associate Professor Emeritus of Mathematics, died April 7, 2017.

He earned a bachelor’s degree at the University of Michigan, and earned a doctorate in 1969. He came to Oswego on Sept. 1, 1969, and retired July 1, 1983. Following his retirement from Oswego, Robert lectured at San Francisco State University in the mathematics and computer science departments. He was predeceased by his daughter, Dinah, and is survived by his wife, Anne; daughters, Judith and Deborah; six grandchildren and three step-children.

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PROVIDED

The Fiction Bug and the Man Who Introduced Me to the Devil … and Myself

By Jeff Durstewitz ’73

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s you get older you remember certain “red letter” days. One of those, for me, came in the summer of 1971 when I spotted a name in the Oswego course catalog: Campbell Black, a novelist who was teaching fiction in the English Department’s new writing program. That day was, as the cliché has it, the first day of the rest of my life.

I took three courses from Campbell, but I never learned a thing from him in those Sheldon Hall classrooms. At least, not in the usual sense of downloading facts. Campbell didn’t “teach;” he set the stage, and he expertly advised those wrestling with technical problems: plot, characters, etc. But it was basically your show, and you either produced or didn’t. He graded accordingly, but the real point was taking your role in the creative process seriously. I wrote a few things he liked, and we soon went from mentor and mentee to friends—a relationship that would last until his death in 2013. In the meantime he would publish scads of novels (mostly as Campbell Armstrong), a stunning piece of nonfiction (I Hope You Have a Good Life) and a satirical play that riled one of the world’s biggest entertainment companies (And They Used to Star in Movies, free online.)

OSWEGO

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Summer 2017

Campbell wanted me to write fiction, but it wasn’t really my thing. I did become a writer, though, going from Oswego County weeklies to dailies, including the Philadelphia Inquirer, then doing PR work and finally, after marrying my Seneca 7 sweetheart Teri Blasko ’73 and having kids, a career as a financial writer and editor.

Campbell’s life was far more glamorous: a stream of hit thrillers, collaboration with brand-name talent in Hollywood and Manhattan, a best-selling novelization of Raiders of the Lost Ark. We sometimes lost track of each other, but one of us would always circle back. On St. Patrick’s Day in 1992 he called from Ireland, though the last I’d known he was living in Arizona.

Soon we were reconnecting at his brooding Irish manse, the one he called “the mother of all money pits.” It was haunted to the rafters, although he refused to believe what he nevertheless couldn’t explain.

In that phenomenal pile, which Campbell had bought at the peak of his ardent love affair with Guinness stout, someone had walled off a small inside space. Legend had it that the first owner’s rash words had given the foul fiend entrée to it; hence the strange wall. Campbell said he’d

considered taking it down, but the local contractors, otherwise so cooperative, had declined. Finally, the fiction bug bit me.

With Campbell’s unstinting aid, I puttered with The Devil’s Room for more than two decades, always meaning to present the first copy to him. He didn’t live to see it, but his death galvanized me into finishing it. He’d already earned my deepest thanks for introducing me to myself at Oswego, but at last his faith was vindicated: I did, as he always believed, have a novel in me.

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Jeff Durstewitz ’73, an English major, lives in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., and is co-author of the award-winning Bantam memoir Younger Than That Now—A Shared Passage From the Sixties, which incorporates memories of his Oswego days, including spring 1970. His new novel, The Devil’s Room (written under the name “Joe Fegan”), is available at Amazon.com.

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Dr. Josephine Ferazzoli Farrell ’71 M’79 CAS’81

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or Dr. Josephine Ferazzoli Farrell ’71 M’79 CAS’81, retirement is a time to travel and stay connected with students by teaching online classes.

“I probably will never fully retire,” she said.

Dr. Farrell was interviewed on the road—just four days after her husband, Tim, retired from a 39-year career at Ferazzoli & Farrell Jewelers in Fulton, N.Y. The couple is driving across country with plans to visit Napa Valley and San Francisco, and many places along the way. On the return trip, Florida is on the list—to make it to 5-year-old grandson Ean’s birthday party.

“It’s all what you make of it—your job, your retirement—my goal is to enjoy myself as much as I possibly can,” said Dr. Farrell by phone from a rest stop, noting that she’ll be in South Bend, Ind., to stay at the University of Notre Dame by nightfall.

Dr. Farrell grew up in Fulton, earning three degrees from SUNY Oswego and a doctorate in education from the University of Rochester. But her career in higher education—which began when she joined the faculty at SUNY Oswego in 1992—was never planned.

“My heart was always with K-12,” she said.

At the urging of Professor Bill Silky M’76 CAS’78, she applied to teach at her alma mater. “I really found a niche for myself at SUNY Oswego. What ended up happening was that I had the best of both worlds— working in higher ed and teaching a Methods

of Instruction course, which brought me into the public schools. It was so in line with what I always wanted to be doing.”

She taught many courses for Curriculum and Instruction in the School of Education, including the methods course and literacy. Although she retired in 2009 from full-time teaching, she teaches two graduate-level courses online, including one in educational law.

“When I was really young I was Dr. Josephine Ferazzoli Farrell ’71 M’79 CAS’81 visited trying to decide: Should I become a the Grand Canyon in June 2017. teacher or a lawyer? Because while some people sit around reading novels, I sit “Having a good attitude makes all the around reading lawsuits,” she laughed. difference,” she said of retirement, adding that Another of Dr. Farrell’s passions is the her mother was the perfect role model for integration of technology into the classroom. exactly that. Rose Ferazzoli of Fulton died in Along with Curriculum and Instruction February just shy of her 100th birthday. “She Professor Barbara Beyerbach ’74 M’76, Dr. enjoyed life, and that’s my plan, too.” l Farrell was a co-director for a Goals 2000 —Eileen Crandall multi-year grant to purchase hardware and software for the School of Education and area public school teachers. The second online course she continues to teach today is about technology in the curriculum.

“People take for granted that young people going into teaching know how to integrate technology into their coursework,” she said. Students love the course content; plus, it keeps her connected with educators, she said.